New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has called for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to present their stance on the bail applications filed by alleged middleman Christian Michel James, who is implicated in the alleged Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland helicopter scam involving the procurement of 12 VVIP helicopters.
Justice Jyoti Singh issued notices to the investigative agencies regarding the bail pleas by the British national, who was extradited from Dubai in December 2018 and subsequently arrested for his alleged involvement in the scam. In two separate orders passed on April 22, the judge instructed the counsel for the CBI and ED to submit their status reports within three weeks and scheduled the matter for hearing on May 16.
On February 7 of the previous year, the Supreme Court had denied bail to James, who is currently in judicial custody, rejecting his argument that he should be released as he has served half of the maximum sentence in the cases. Prior to this, the high court had dismissed his bail applications in both the CBI and ED cases in March 2022.
On March 18, the Supreme Court declined to consider James’s plea seeking bail under Article 32 of the Constitution, arguing that he cannot be charged with any offences other than those specified in the extradition decree and should be granted the benefit of the “doctrine of speciality”.
The alleged scam pertains to the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland. The CBI, in its charge sheet, has claimed an estimated loss of 398.21 million euros (approximately Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer due to the deal, which was signed on February 8, 2010, for the supply of VVIP choppers worth 556.262 million euros.
In its charge sheet filed against James in June 2016, the ED alleged that he had received 30 million euros (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland. James is among the three alleged middlemen being investigated in the case, with the other two being Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.
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