Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan on Thursday admitted to the Central Bureau of Investigation that he received money from middlemen Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschkhe, reported ANI. However, the investigative agency said it wasn't satisfied with his answers regarding the payments. Khaitan is an alleged middleman who helped route money during the deal. He also happened to be appointed to the board of directors of Emaar MGF in September 2009.
The CBI, which is also investigating the case, questioned prime accused SP Tyagi, a former Indian Air Force chief, for the third consecutive day on Wednesday.The CBI has registered a case against Tyagi and 13 others, including some of his family members, and European middlemen. The Congress has demanded that the Supreme Court monitor the CBI's investigations.
The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday sought the property details of 10 Indian Air Force officers and officials in the Defence Ministry, as part of their investigation into the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, The Indian Express reported. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government has been accused of taking bribes to grant the company the deal.
On Wednesday, the ED had questioned the managing director of Emaar MGF, a real estate company that has been implicated in the scam. One of the AgustaWestland accused, middleman Guido Ralph Haschke, had briefly headed the company in 2009. The Bharatiya Janata Party had alleged that Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi bought shops in a Delhi mall that Emaar MGF owned. Also, Gandhi’s close aide Kanishka Singh is reportedly related to the owners of the firm. Gandhi and Singh have denied these allegations.
The scam
The AgustaWestland helicopter deal, which has snowballed into a huge controversy, relates to an agreement in 2010, when the UPA was to buy 12 helicopters from the British-Italian firm for around Rs 3,600 crore. The deal was put on hold after Italy arrested the head of Finmeccanica, AgustaWestland’s parent company, on charges that the company paid bribes to win the contract.
On Wednesday, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in the Rajya Sabha, “It appears that some invisible hand was then guiding the actions and inactions of the CBI and ED”. He argued that the acquisition process for the helicopters was managed by the UPA to favour Finmeccanica.
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