The Enforcement Directorate seized shares worth Rs 86.07 crore on Monday during a search operation involving at least 10 companies in connection with the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP choppers scam case. The agency seized a number of documents and then issued orders to freeze the shares of firms located in Dubai, Mauritius and Singapore, reported PTI. The other offices searched were located in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
The agency had filed the second chargesheet in the case on June 15, naming alleged middleman Christian Michel and his associates in India. The chargesheet said the British middleman took € 30 million (around Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland to bribe people and secure the defence ministry contract to provide 12 helicopters.
The AgustaWestland helicopter deal relates to an agreement in 2010 when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government was to buy 12 helicopters from the British-Italian firm. The deal was put on hold after Italy arrested the head of Finmeccanica on charges that the company paid kickbacks to win the contract. The CBI had registered a case against former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi and 13 others, including his three cousins and the European middlemen involved in the scam.
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