AgustaWestland case: Delhi court issues production warrant against Gautam Khaitan

A Delhi court on Tuesday issued a production warrant against lawyer Gautam Khaitan, who is an accused in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar issued his production warrant and posted the matter for hearing on May 9.

Gautam Khaitan had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) a few years ago in connection with their probe but was granted bail in the case. 

The criminal case against Khaitan, under the PMLA, was filed by the ED on the basis of a case filed by the Income-Tax Department under Section 51 of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015. 

It is alleged that Gautam Khaitan has been operating and holding a number of foreign accounts illegally and thereby possessing black money and stash assets.

The investigative agencies got fresh leads against Khaitan after the questioning of Christian Michel, an alleged middleman in the VVIP chopper deal with AgustaWestland, who was extradited by India from Dubai in December 2018.