Dead Or Alive? Agency Changes Status Of Agusta Case Witness In 24 Hours

A key witness in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, who was declared as dead by the Enforcement Directorate barely 24 hours ago, will appear before the court tomorrow.  KK Khosla, who was in possession of certain valuable documents in the case, surfaced today - a day after the agency investigating case told the court that he is possibly dead.

"Whenever we went to his house, he was not available. Maybe he is dead," the agency officials had told the special court hearing the case yesterday. Today, the agency corrected its stance, saying the defence has claimed that he is alive and will appear in court whenever required.

KK Khosla, the agency claimed, has some papers which mention the bribery amounts and the names of the people who received them. The agency said he is a crucial witness to the bribery and corruption link.

The court has asked that KK Khosla be present for tomorrow's hearing, when the defence counsel for his boss, Ratul Puri, is expected to begin his arguments.  

The nephew of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath is a suspect in the case. Earlier this month, the agency had told the court that he had received money from the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal that involved hefty bribes.

He had also tried to influence witnesses and tamper with evidence, the agency had said.

Ratul Puri, who is the Chairman of Hindustan Powerprojects Pvt Ltd, has said the allegations are part of a political vendetta. He has received anticipatory bail from the court in the case.

An Italian court has convicted the former heads of AgustaWestland and its parent firm Finmeccanica. The court found irregularities committed by AgustaWestland in the sale of 12 VVIP helicopters to India.