The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet naming middleman Christian Michel and another two people in connection with the AgustaWestland chopper scam, according to a Times Now tweet.
The case pertains to the irregularities unearthed during a probe into the purchase of 12 AgustaWestland choppers for Rs. 3,600 crore, the deal being signed in February 2010. The names of several bigwigs, including Congress President Sonia Gandhi, have cropped up in connection with the scam. Trial in another case regarding the scam is currently underway in Italy.
The probe into the irregularities began in 2013 when Italian authorities arrested AgustaWestland's parent company Finmeccanica's CEO Giuseppe Orsi over bribery allegations. Then defence minister AK Antony ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, which went on to focus on several bigwigs, like then Indian Army chief SP Tyagi and his cousins.
The deal was subsequently cancelled, but the the probe went on. Michel was arrested after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him in 2015 because the CBI believed he recieved commission for the completion of the deal, according to an Outlook report.
The ED has been investigating the money-laundering aspect of the case.
