The Enforcement Directorate and the CBI have both renewed their efforts in the scrapped VVIP chopper deal they are investigating separately.
Highlights
- Three Indian associates helped Italian middleman crack VVIP chopper deal
- One opened shell company, used suspected black money to buy property
- One reported on aircraft, choppers bought by Air Force, Aviation Ministry
Three associates based in India helped Italian middleman Christian Michel carry out his operations and cracking the AgustaWestland deal for selling 12 VVIP choppers to the Indian Air Force, documents accessed by NDTV show.
The Enforcement Directorate and the CBI have both renewed their efforts in the scrapped VVIP chopper deal they are investigating separately. Former Deputy Air Chief J S Gujral was questioned by the CBI today while former Air Chief SP Tyagi has been summoned by the ED on Thursday.
Documents show R K Nanda and J B Subramaniam were directors in a shell company started at the behest of Christian Michel in 2005. Mr Nanda, who claimed to be a travel agent, said nearly Rs 7 crore was sent between October 2005 and April 2007 to Media Exim's account from Global Service FZE, which was Christian Michael's company in Dubai. This was shown on company papers as the money used to but Punjabi and Hindi music CDs. But, it was actually used to purchase three properties in the national capital region.
Mr Nanda also sold two of these properties after Mr Michel left the country in 2012, and transferred Rs 6 crore to Global Finance's company accounts as proceeds from these sales.
Mr Subramaniam, director in Media Exim was also questioned by the ED. He told the agency that he was first hired by Mr Michel in 2003 to give daily reports on aircraft and helicopters procured, both by the Indian Air Force and the civil aviation ministry. He was later appointed director of Media Exim Pvt Ltd but never involved in any of the company functions.
The Italian agent's driver Narayan Bahadur confirmed the addresses of properties bought by his employer and admitted during questioning that he also doubled up as the caretaker for two houses in Delhi's Safdurjung Enclave and a farmhouse in Chattarpur bought by Mr Michel. He added that the bills of the house were paid in the name of Media Exim Pvt Ltd.
He told investigators that he once picked up three friends of Mr Michel from a hotel in South Delhi and took them to a bungalow at Sainik farms, where they men were received by Sanjeev Tyagi, a cousin of the former air chief. He also said he would often hear Mr Michel using the names of Carlos Guerossa and Guido Haschke in phone conversations.