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AgustaWestland Scam: Christian Michel Sent To 5-Day CBI Custody By Delhi Court

After he was produced before court, Michel was taken back to the CBI headquarters.
Representative image.
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Representative image.

The alleged 'middleman' in the AgustaWestland chopper scam Christian Michel, who was extradited to India from UAE on Tuesday, was produced before a Delhi court on Wednesday that sent him to five day CBI custody.

NDTV reported that Michel was taken back to the CBI headquarters after being produced in court. The news channel also reported that the CBI had asked for a 14 day custody.

Michel, a British national, is wanted in India in connection with the AgustaWestland VVIP choppers scam.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), in its charge sheet filed against Michel in June 2016, had alleged that he received EUR 30 million (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland.

Michel is one of the three middlemen being probed in the case, besides Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa, by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Both the CBI and the ED had notified an Interpol red corner notice against him.

On 1 January, 2014, India scrapped the contract with Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the IAF over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks to the tune of Rs 423 crore by it for securing the deal.

The CBI has alleged that there was an estimated loss of Euro 398.21 million (approximately Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer in the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010 for the supply of VVIP choppers worth Euro 556.262 million.

(With inputs from PTI)

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.