On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court granted bail to Christian James Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case linked to a money laundering investigation.
This follows a recent Supreme Court decision granting him bail in a related CBI case.
Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma’s bench approved the bail plea after reserving its verdict last week.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed Michel’s bail, citing his British citizenship and arguing that he posed a flight risk.
The agency also pointed out that the Supreme Court had acknowledged this concern in its earlier ruling.
Michel’s lawyer, Aljo K Joseph, highlighted the Supreme Court’s recent order, emphasizing that the court granted his client bail due to prolonged delays in the CBI’s corruption trial.
Earlier, on 18 February, the Supreme Court expressed concern over the slow progress of the trial, stating that at the current pace, it might take another 25 years to conclude.
Authorities arrested and extradited Michel from Dubai in December 2018, five years after registering the initial FIR in 2013.
The scam involves the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland in a deal worth Rs 3,600 crore.
Trial Splitting In AgustaWestland Probe
Meanwhile, on 22 February, a trial court permitted the ED to split the trial into separate cases for those who had cooperated with the investigation and those who had not.
The agency argued that this move would help expedite proceedings.
Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal supported the decision, stating that separating the trials aligns with the principles of justice and ensures a fair and speedy resolution under Article 21 of the Constitution.
As a result, officials will process the case files of absconding accused separately from those summoned or actively facing trial.
The money laundering case, investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), involves 60 accused individuals, 21 of whom have neither joined the investigation nor responded to ED summons.
The first prosecution complaint was filed in November 2014, while the most recent – submitted in November 2024 – marks the 12th supplementary chargesheet, reflecting the prolonged nature of the probe.
Investigators are probing Michel as one of three alleged middlemen, alongside Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.
The CBI’s chargesheet states that the contract for VVIP helicopters, signed on 8 February 2010, caused a financial loss of approximately Rs 2,666 crore to the Indian exchequer.
The ED’s chargesheet, filed in June 2016, claims that Michel received payments amounting to Rs 225 crore from AgustaWestland.
The scandal dates back to the Congress-led UPA government, during which money was allegedly funneled through middlemen to secure the helicopter contract in 2006-07.
Following corruption allegations, the Indian government launched a CBI probe in February 2013, with the ED registering a money laundering case in 2014.
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