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    CBI to seek information from 5 more nations in AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter scam

    Synopsis

    CBI has sent legal requests for assistance in the AgustaWestland probe to Singapore, British Virgin Islands, UK, Switzerland & UAE

    ET Bureau
    NEW DELHI: The money trail and spoils in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter scam are spread over eight countries across the world, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) says it has found, prompting it to send Letters Rogatory (LRs) or legal requests for assistance in the probe to five remaining countries to establish leads in its investigations that the kickbacks were either routed through these countries or invested there.

    After getting no response to the LRs that it had sent to Tunisia, Mauritius and Italy more than six months ago, the Central Bureau of Investigation is now sending similar requests to Singapore, British Virgin Islands, United Kingdom, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, a senior official told ET.

    “Establishing the money trail is essential to proving the bribery scam in the first place,” said the official, who did not wish to be identified. Formal charges in the case will take time since the agency cannot reach that state without assistance from the eight countries, the official added.

    In a taped conversation being examined by a court in Italy in a parallel matter, alleged middlemen Guido Ralph Haschke and Carlo Geros said Indian investigators would “never be able” to crack the circuitous channel through which kickbacks were paid.

    The Central Bureau of Investigation suspects that the cousins of former Indian Air Force chief KC Tyagi received bribes routed through bogus companies floated in Tunisia, Mauritius and Italy, the official said. The agency is probing two specific meetings held in November 2003 and March 2005 where “certain decisions” were taken to reduce the height ceiling of the required choppers that enabled Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland to enter the fray.

    The November 2003 meeting was chaired by then National Security Advisor and Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Brajesh Mishra where it was impressed that singlevendor situation should be avoided given the height ceiling for the desired choppers was then fixed at 6,000 metres and the same should be rationalised.

    At a March 2005 meeting under the new political regime that was attended by then National Security Advisor MK Narayanan and then Special Protection Group chief BV Wanchoo, it was decided to lower the height ceiling to 4,500 metres that enabled Agusta to enter the fray and later emerge as the sole vendor after technical trials.

    “Wanchoo has now said during his questioning that the decision to lower the height ceiling was done in-principle in 2003 by the BJP government and it was only implemented in 2005. We are trying to cross-check the same from those who attended the 2003 meeting,” a top Central Bureau of Investigation official said, adding that Mishra was no more to give a version of the events during the 2003 meeting.


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