NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the CBI on a plea filed by alleged middleman Christian Michel James seeking bail in the alleged Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper scam case.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Justice P B Varale sought a response from the agency within four weeks on a plea by James, challenging the September 25 order of the Delhi High Court, declining him bail.
Supreme Court Seeks CBI’s Response on Christian Michel’s Bail in AgustaWestland Scam
The CBI claimed the accused, James is the alleged middleman in the deal.
Earlier on March 18, the Supreme Court had declined to entertain the plea by James, raising a plea for right to liberty, to seek immediate release from jail.
AgustaWestland Chopper Scam: British Middleman Christian Michel’s Legal Battle Continues
He contended he had already spent five years and three months in jail, while the maximum term is five years even if convicted, so his judicial custody is illegal.
Michel, the British citizen, was extradited to India on December 5, 2018 from the UAE. On his arrival in India, he was arrested by the CBI and days later, arrested by the financial probe agency, the ED. Since then, he has been lodged in judicial custody at Tihar Jail.
On January 1, 2014, India cancelled the contract with Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the IAF over alleged breach of contractual obligations and on charges of paying kickbacks amounting to Rs 423 crore.
Michel was alleged to be the middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper deal.
The AgustaWestland case involves a 2007 contract signed by the government to buy 12 luxury helicopters for use by top leaders, including the President, Prime Minister, and former prime ministers.
