An Italian investigator probing AgustaWestland deal with India has claimed that money used for bribes to high-ranking Indian officials was paid through consultancy firms owned by middlemen.
Eugenio Fusco, prosecutor in charge of the case in the northern Italian town of Busto Arsizio, in a hearing, told the Italian court that Guido Ralph Haschke- a Swiss-resident Italian, an alleged middleman used his companies to route bribe money to India.
Fusco reportedly told court that "money used for bribes to high-ranking Indian officials was paid by inflating the price of consultancy deals between AgustaWestland and firms co-owned by Haschke."
In India, the CBI, which is also probing the case has claimed in its FIR that Guido Haschke, through his Tunisia-based company Gordian Services Sarl, entered into several consultancy contracts with AgustaWestland from 2004-05 and also made consultancy contracts with the Tyagi brothers, cousins of the former IAF chief Air chief Marshal SP Tyagi.
It is alleged that under cover of these contracts, Haschke allegedly made payoffs to the tune of Euros 1.26 lakh and Euros 2 lakh to the Tyagi brothers.
In addition, 30 million euros were paid to European middleman Christian Michel and the CBI suspects a portion of this was paid to officials and politicians in India for favouring Anglo-Italian AgustaWestland.
Apart from the former IAF chief Tyagi, his cousins --- Sanjeev, alias, Juli; Rajeev, alias Docsa, and Sandeep --- European middlemen Carlo Gerosa, Christian Michel and Guido Haschke were among 13 individuals named in the CBI case.
According to reports in Italian newspapers, Haschke, accused of bribing Indian officials to help a unit of Italy's Finmeccanica (AgustaWestland) win a helicopter contract has struck a plea bargain with Italian prosecutors. And under the arrangement, which must be ratified by a judge, Haschke would be sentenced for international corruption and would serve a year and 10 months under home detention or performing community service, the reports claimed.
Haschke, a 62-year-old owner of a management and business strategy consulting business, and more than a dozen other people are under investigation but have not been formally charged by the Italian court.
In January, Indian government has cancelled Rs 3,600 crore helicopter deal with Italian defence giant by citing a breach of integrity relating to alleged corruption.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}