Former Air Chief SP Tyagi was arrested by CBI over alleged irregularities in AgustaWestland chopper deal.
Highlights
- CBI said evidence has just come from Italy, Mauritius, Switzerland and UK
- The accused have to be confronted with evidence from abroad, CBI said
- Mr Tyagi accused of swinging VVIP chopper deal in favour of Finnmeccanica
Former air chief SP Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan, will be in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation for questioning for three more days, a Delhi court has said.
Citing that the AgustaWestland chopper scam is wide case and case, the agency had asked for seven more days to question them. "It's a very wide case, foreign companies are involved. We are dependent on information from abroad," the agency told the court.
Mr Tyagi has been accused of abusing his official position to swing the Rs 3,600 crore deal for a dozen VVIP choppers in favour of Finnmeccanica -- the parent company of UK-based helicopter maker AgustaWestland - by investigators in Italy and India. It has been said that he had altered the specifications of the tender at the instance of his cousins.
Though the case was registered in 2013, letters had to be sent to collect evidence from foreign countries, including Tunisia, Mauritius, Dubai and United Kingdom, the agency said today. It added that it has just heard from Italy, Mauritius, Switzerland and UK and certain "glaring facts" have emerged after examining the evidence.
All three accused, the CBI said, have been confronted with evidence from India and abroad. SP Tyagi was confronted with evidence on changes in specifics, and change in operational requirements that were cleared by him, the agency said.
Questioning the need for arrest, Mr Tyagi's advocate said, "My client is a 44 year old veteran, served country in two wars (1965 and 1971). The CBI has humiliated and tarnished the reputation of a decorated war hero".
Mr Tyagi, who headed the Air Force between 2005 and 2007, has maintained that changing the specifications of the helicopters that made Agusta eligible, was not his decision alone. In 2003, the Prime Minister's Office asked the air chief to get involved in the procurement and the changes in specifications were suggested during a meeting in 2005, he has said.