Sources say the Central Bureau of Investigation has asked MEA about updates on Michel 20 times in 24 hours
Even as the CBI awaits a signal from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on the extradition of Christian Michel, his lawyer says the British national has been missing since September 2 – the day the Dubai court said he could be sent to India.
Sources say the Central Bureau of Investigation has asked MEA about updates on Michel 20 times in 24 hours. Michel was allegedly hired by AgustaWestland to facilitate the deal for the supply of 12 helicopters to India in 2010, for which he is said to have received Rs 225 crore.
Sources in the MEA say they have not yet received any formal communication from their UAE counterparts. Both MEA and CBI say they are unaware about the development in the politically sensitive case as the scam took place during the UPA regime.
On August 26, the UAE government counselled with its court on whether a person from another country could be extradited to a third country. On September 2, the Dubai court told its government that it can extradite a person on the 'basis of severity of crime', however, it did not pass an order in this regard. A two-member bench said, "The court has decreed/decided that it is possible to hand over Christian James Michel to the concerned authorities in India."
Michel's lawyer Amal Alsubei says he has been missing since the extradition order and that they would appeal in the Supreme Court. CBI, wary of being caught napping, checked with the Interpol about the UAE court's judgement, only to be told there's "no further development in the case". "We have our limitations," said a source in CBI. "We can only check with MEA. They have not told us anything."
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad called the development in the case a "positive one". "It is a good development, but I must point out that I notice a profound sense of unease in some leaders," he said referring to the Congress.
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