Chargesheet in Agusta scam likely by yearend

The Centre on Friday informed Supreme Court that it would file a charge sheet in the Augusta Westland helicopter scam by the end of this year after the Special Investigation Team constituted for the purpose, completes the probe.

Solicitor-general Ranjit Kumar gave this information before a bench of justices Dipak Misra and C. Nagappan hearing a PIL filed by advocate M.L. Sharma for a CBI probe into alleged role of Indians including Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, ex-PM Manmohan Singh and party leader Ahmed Patel in allegedly receiving kickbacks in the Augusta-Westlands helicopter deal with Italy.

Taking note of this submission, the bench disposed of the PIL. It refused to pass orders as sought by Mr Sharma that the probe agency should be directed to register FIR against certain “main accused” persons.

The bench said if at all Mr Sharma was aggrieved by any accused person’s name not figuring in the FIR, he was free to approach the court again. It was the case of the petitioner that no FIR has so far been registered against some of the main accused who had actually got the specifications for the purchase of helicopter changed.

He however, did not name the said individuals. The solicitor-general told the court that the FIR was already registered against some persons, but did not divulge the details. Disposing of the matter the bench said “If the petitioner at any point of time after investigation finds that a person has not been made an accused, he can approach this court again.”

On May 6, the apex court had sought response of the Centre and CBI on Mr Sharma’s petition for a CBI probe or a court-monitored SIT to probe alleged role of Indians including top VIPs. He had cited the names of the Congress leaders as possible recipients of the bribe, but has consciously avoided making them respondents in the case.

Former Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, who was heading the Air Force when specifications were drawn up and tenders were floated for the VVIP helicopter deal in 2006, is a cousin of Julie Tyagi. Investigations reveal that Julie Tyagi is one of the rings in this complex web of middlemen who allegedly influenced the deal. The PIL sought a thorough probe into these revelations.

The petitioner has referred to the 7.4.2016 Italian court final judgement which he claimed has declared the role of several Congress leaders in alleged receipt of commission of ($17-18 million) bribes from the middlemen. The judgement of the appeal court in Milan convicting AgustaWestland chopper company chief Giuseppe Orsi has described how the firm paid bribes to top Congress leaders in India and lobbied with them to bag the ~3600 crore ($451 million) deal, the petition said.