VVIP chopper deal: CBI officer to attend AgustaWestland trial in Italy

CBI has sent one of its investigating officer along with a Defence Ministry team to Milan for attending trial related to alleged corruption by AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica executives in clinching the VVIP helicopter supply contract.

The Italian agencies are probing allegations of corrupt practices against top executives of UK-based AgustaWestland and its parent company Italy-based Finmeccanica in bagging the Rs 3,600 crore deal for supplying 12 helicopters to India.

Sources in the agency said the Defence Ministry wanted a CBI officer in the team to assist it with the findings.

The probe agency has already booked former IAF Chief SP Tyagi, his three cousins and nine others, including the two companies and European middlemen, involved in the alleged bribery scandal running into Rs362 crore.

Italian prosecutors have submitted their report before the authorities there and the trial is likely to begin from June 19 onwards, they said.

The sources said a CBI officer accompanied by a senior officer from the Defence Ministry is likely to attend the trial in Milan.

In its FIR, CBI had alleged that middleman Guido Haschke through his Tunisia-based company Gordian Services Sarl entered into several consultancy contracts with AgustaWestland from 2004-05 onwards and "almost on back-to-back basis, he also made consultancy contracts with the Tyagi brothers (Tyagi's cousins)."

Under the cover of these contracts, Haschke allegedly sent Euro 1.26 lakh and Euro two lakh to the Tyagi brothers.

The probe agency has also finalised Letters Rogatory to four countries seeking information about these transactions.