The CBI, on second day of interrogation, found him having financial interests in at least 4 companies based out of India
Former Indian Air Force marshal SP Tyagi had allegedly met the chief operating officer (COO) of Italian aerospace and defence group Finmeccanica while in office. The meeting with the official of Finmeccanica, accused in the Rs 3,726-crore VVIP chopper scam, had taken place in 2005, almost three months after he was selected as the IAF chief.
The revelation came from the CBI officials who interrogated Tyagi for the second consecutive day. Agency officials also added that Tyagi allegedly had financial interests in at least four companies based out of India.
CBI officials told dna that the alleged meeting had taken place on February 15, 2005 in India, but did not mention the venue. Sources in CBI, however, said that investigators have retrieved records which indicate that the meeting had taken place between Tyagi and Finmeccanica COO, Georgio Zapa.
The CBI claims that it was when he was IAF chief that Tyagi allegedly tailored chopper specifications to favour AgustaWestland, one of the four global vendors in talks with the defence ministry.
Sources said that an elaborate record of individuals the government officials meet during their office time is usually maintained and it was possible that CBI investigators accessed the same. The agency is also looking at the travels made by Tyagi post his retirement in 2007. Tyagi is alleged to have met AgustaWestland middlemen seven times – from 2004 to 2007 – and travelled to Italy thrice after his retirement.
It had also come to fore that the former AFM was linked to three companies which have been identified with their initials: 'Vanshi', 'Anuras' and 'Shavan'. On Tuesday, sources told dna that Tyagi might have other shares in some other companies out of which one Noida-based company, named Meghanshu, has been identified. Tyagi and his wife are the owners of the companies. The investigating agency has written to the Financial Intelligence Unit "to gather more details about the financial transactions of these companies in India and abroad".
Tyagi, along with another accused in the massive scam, Gautam Khaitan, are to be questioned by the probe agency on Wednesday while the former AFM's cousins, also known as Tyagi brothers – Sanjeev, Rajeev and Sandeep, have been called later this week. The three are accused of lobbying on behalf of AgustaWestland.
CBI sources said that it was in 2004, when Tyagi was vice-chief, that Finmeccanica approached him for the first time. Later, when it was announced that Tyagi was next in line for chief, Agusta middlemen Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa held some more meetings with him. The middlemen again met him at an air show in Bengaluru, where AgustaWestland had put up a stall.
AFM Tyagi is accused of influencing IAF's decision to tailor chopper specification to suit helicopters put for bidding by AgustaWestland. The service ceiling (height of flying capacity) was brought down from 6,000 metres to 4500, even after reluctance by the ministry of defence.
CBI documents revealed that in 2004, the Tyagi brothers, who made acquaintances with Guido Hasheesh and Carlo Gerosa, signed a consultancy contract with Gordian Services Sarl in Tunisia. After May 2004, 1,26,000 euros and 2 lakh euros after February 2005, camouflaged as consultancy fee, were paid to Tyagi brothers and some of the money was allegedly paid off to Tyagi himself.
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