CBI nails SP Tyagi in Agusta Westland case, says he got 42 million euros as bribe
India Today has accessed the CBI chargesheet in the Agusta Westland chopper scam case. The CBI has concluded that SP Tyagi was paid a bribe of 42 million euros for the deal.
According to the CBI chargesheet, accessed by the CBI, in the Agusta Westland case, the chopper deal cost the state exchequer 398 million euros.
The CBI has nailed former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi saying that he received a bribe of 42 million euros. The CBI also accused the then Air Marshal JS Gujral of criminal conspiracy in the case.
The CBI chargesheet says that former IAF chief SP Tyagi was the main conspirator in the multi-million chopper scam. The probe agency has also named Italian middleman Guido Hashcke, Carlos Gerosa, Christian Michel and some Agusta Westland officials in the case.
According to the CBI, SP Tyagi exercised his influence to change the operational requirements for the VVIP choppers to favour Agusta Westland. The changes led to the single-vendor-situation which favoured Agusta Westland.
The CBI further says that SP Tyagi's cousin, Jule also got a bribe of Rs 2.28 crore.
Tyagi was named in the FIR in the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP helicopter deal along with 13 others including his brothers - Sanjeev, Rajeev and Sandeep - and European middlemen Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.
The allegation against the former IAF chief is that he had reduced flying ceiling of the helicopter from 6,000 metres to 4,500 metres (15,000 feet) so that Agusta Westland could be included in the bids.