India suspended the deal in 2013 after Italian investigators began looking into accusations that AgustaWestland paid bribes to win the Rs 3,600 crore contract.
Highlights
- CBI has been seeking the custody of Christian Michel James
- James said the documents were forged in his handwriting
- In September, a Delhi court issued a warrant for James' arrest
The government has asked Britain to extradite consultant Christian Michel James, one of the main accused in a scam related to the UPA government's deal with Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland to procure VVIP choppers.
India suspended the deal in 2013 after Italian investigators began looking into
accusations that AgustaWestland paid bribes to win the Rs 3,600 crore ($753 million) contract for 12 helicopters intended for use by the prime minister, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other VIPs.
The Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI has been seeking the custody of James - one of 13 accused in the case -- as a key intermediary who managed political parties and players in Italy and India.
"Yes, government of India has approached the government of the United Kingdom for extradition of Christian Michel to India in connection with the AgustaWestland helicopter scam," VK Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, told parliament.
Separately, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporters that the request had been made but "we have not had a response from the UK side yet".
The deal has set off a fresh political storm in New Delhi after an Italian court reportedly cited James as alleging that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and others took more than $27 million in bribes to swing the deal for AgustaWestland.
In an interview with The Hindu newspaper, James, who denies any wrongdoing or implicating Congress leaders in corruption, said documents were forged in his handwriting. He said he was prepared to be interrogated by Indian authorities but was afraid of being "stuck in India for years".
"I think this is the only way to settle this, a direct questioning," James, who said he was in Dubai, told the newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday.
"Remember this isn't just about clearing my good name, but India's good name. Bureaucrats were not involved, politicians were not involved."
The Milan appeals court earlier this month sentenced the Italian boss of AgustaWestland's parent company Finmeccanica, Giuseppe Orsi, to four and a half years in jail for false accounting and corruption.
Italian prosecutors suspect kickbacks worth about 10 per cent of the deal - Rs 360 crore - were paid to Indian officials in bribes when Mrs Gandhi's Congress was in power.
In September a Delhi court issued a warrant for James' arrest.