Former Samata Party leader Jaya Jaitly on Friday claimed that British businessman James Christian Michel, the middleman named in the AgustaWestland scam, had told her she could “make a pile of money” for her party, The Times of India reported.

“Every party needs money, how will you do without money,” he reportedly asked her. Jaitly said she told Michel that she would rather beg on the streets than take money from him, ANI reported.

Jaitly received a call from Michel, who is said to have posed as a journalist, a few days before the Kargil War started in May 1999, and later met him in New Delhi’s India International Centre, according to The Times of India. Samata Party leader George Fernandes was the defence minister then. Michel spoke to Jaitly of the defence dealers in the country who had various bureaucrats “in their pockets”, the report said.

Advertisement

Though the British businessman did not tell Jaitly what he wanted in return, she thought he was trying to bribe her in exchange for a potential favour for a French arms company that was his client. Jaitly said she informed Fernandes of the meeting the same day and on his advice wrote to the defence secretary the next day about the matter.

After Tehelka published allegations of murky defence deals in March 2001, Jaitly said she received a fax from Michel. “Dear Mrs Jaitly, I am so sorry about what has happened. I warned you about them. Sincerely, Michel,” he wrote.

Last year, Michel alleged that Indian investigative agencies were pressuring him to get information against the Opposition.

Michel has been accused of receiving kickbacks for a deal signed by the Defence Ministry with AgustaWestland for the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters. The deal was signed during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance rule. Michel has denied allegations of being involved in the scam.