Airbus case: CBI team's visit to London delayed

 The visit of a CBI team to London to record the statement of a senior executive of Airbus has been delayed after authorities in the UK asked the agency to exhaust all the legal options.

Official sources said the authorities concerned have asked CBI to exhaust all the legal remedies prior to coming there to record the statement after which it has send a request under the Mutual Legal Assistant Treaty.

"The response to the MLAT request will take at least a month to come after which we will take decision on how to proceed further in the case," a senior official told PTI.

MLAT is a treaty between two countries which allows their agencies to gather and exchange information in an effort to enforce criminal and public laws.

CBI sources said the team was scheduled to go London in "near future" for recording the statement of Kiran Rao, Executive Vice-President Airbus, in connection with the agency's probe into alleged irregularities in the deal to supply 43 aircraft to erstwhile Indian Airlines.

The agency wanted to record the statement of Rao, who was part of the deal finalisation.

"Airbus is cooperating with the investigation and cannot say more at this time," Justin Dubon, Head of Global News at Airbus, had told PTI through email.

The sources said that after nearly a year-long probe, CBI has felt the need to examine senior executives of Airbus about some crucial points which have surfaced during the investigation in the case in which senior officials of the erstwhile Indian Airlines are also accused along with Airbus.