CBI book ex IAF chief and 12 others in chopper deal probe

The Ex- IAF chief SP Tyagi played a key role in swinging the VVIP helicopter deal in favour of Italian defence manufacturering giant Finmeccanica subsidiary AgustaWestland, CBI claims. The CBI on Wednesday filed a Regular Case in VVIP chopper deal probe after over two weeks of its Preliminary Enquiry against 13 people including former Air chief Marshal SP Tyagi and six companies.

Subsequently, investigators carried out searches at 14 locations in Delhi, NCR and Chandigarh including residence of former IAF chief in connection with the probe.

“It is alleged that SP Tyagi during his tenure as IAF chief has changed the Operational Requirements, which was earlier vehemently opposed by air force. Sudden softening of stand by IAF by reducing height cieling from 6000 mtr to 4500 mtr, had allowed AgustaWestland to enter in fray,” a CBI official told DNA.

Though the former IAF chief SP Tyagi is the only public servant in the CBI case, but the probing agency has so far not been able to indciate any linkages of bribe money paid to him by middlemen to clear the deal for Ango-Italian firm.

“The CBI has registered a regular case in the VVIP chopper deal under Sections 120 and 420 of the IPC and under certain sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against former IAF chief and 12 others and six private firms,” Dharini Mishra, CBI spokesperson said.

“It is alleged that in the procurement process of the Helicopters, some persons acted as middlemen and have allegedly influenced the deal in favour of U.K based company. It is also alleged that Italy based company paid commission in terms of several millions of Euros to the middle men. The middlemen from their share of commission allegedly paid huge sums of money to some Indian Nationals in the garb of engineering contracts with two India based companies,” Mishra added.

Sanjeev, Rajeev and Sandeep Tyagi, former Aeromatrix director Gautam Khaitan, Aeromatrix CEO Pravin Bakshi,IDS managing director Pratap Aggarwal and Satish Bagrodia and and five foreigners including Giuseppe Orsi, CEO, M/s Finmeccanica, Italy, Bruno Spagnolini, CEO, M/s AgustaWestland, UK,Guido Ralph Haschke (middle man),. Carlo Valentino Ferdinando Gerosa (middle man) and Christian Michel (middle man) are named as an accused in CBI's case.

Satish Bagrodia, brother of Rajya Sabha MP and former union cabinet minister Santosh Bagrodia was a union minister when the deal was in its final stages of negotiation.

According to agency's FIR,Guido Ralph Haschke, who was one of the middle men in the chopper deal, had allegedly made two remittances through a Tunisia based company, to Tyagi’s cousins of Euro 126,000 and Euro 200,000 for a “consultancy contract.”And these payments were made between June 2004- March 2005.

Besides, CBI has also claimed that middlmen had sent Euro 5.6 million to Chandigarh based IDS infotech and Aeromatrix in the garb of a engineering contracts.

Besides, CBI is probing a commission of Euro 30 million paid by Agusta Westland to Christian Michel. CBI suspects that this money was used to pay bribes to Indian nationals to ease the deal.

They also say that during interrogation, SP Tyagi named late Brajesh Mishra and the Special Protection Group (SPG) for recommending change in tender conditions.

Sources said that the CBI is basing its investigations on the Italian probe report into the Finmeccanica deal. During Italian probe, middleman Haschke has confessed to the police to have met SP Tyagi six-seven times.