AgustaWestland case: UK High Commission seeks consular access to Christian Michel

After the Patiala House court sent AgustaWestland scam accused British national Christian Michel to five-day CBI custody on Wednesday, the UK government has issued a statement, saying it is in contact with his family and the Indian government. The UK government has reportedly sought information regarding the middleman's "circumstances" from the Indian authorities.

"Our staff continue to support the family of a British man following his detention in the UAE. We are in contact with his family and the Emirati authorities regarding his case, and are urgently seeking information from the Indian authorities on his circumstances," UK High Commission spokesperson Sally Hedley said.

The UK High Commission has also sought consular access to Christian Michel, who was brought in a private jet from Dubai on Tuesday night after the UAE government cleared his extradition to India.

During his appearance before Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar at the Patiala House court, Michel denied his role in the VVIP chopper scam. His lawyers had pleaded that he should be sent to judicial custody, not the CBI custody. But the CBI pleaded his custody was crucial to gain access to documents related to the case that might be in his possession.

Politics over Michel's extradition has also gained momentum, with the BJP claiming it as an unequivocal affirmation of the PM Narendra Modi-led government's "seriousness in fighting corruption". The Congress, on the other hand, has raised objections to the way the government has specifically focussed on the AgustaWestland case to distract attention from major issues, like the Rafale deal and Bulandshahr riots.

Michel has been accused of receiving about Rs 225 crore from UK-based helicopter manufacturing company AgustaWestland to influence the deal in its favour. His involvement in the 12 VVIP helicopter deal surfaced in 2012 when he was accused of swinging the deal in favour of AgustaWestland and making illegal payments to the Indian authorities.

Also read: Who is Christian Michel and what is the AgustaWestland chopper scam?

The UPA government had scrapped 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers' contract with the Finmeccanica British subsidiary, AgustaWestland, in January 2014 over the breach of contractual obligations and the charges of paying Rs 423 crore as kickbacks. During the investigation, the CBI had concluded that the Indian government had to bear losses to the tune of Rs 2,600 crore due to the deal. Former Air Force chief SP Tyagi was also arrested over the allegations of reducing the flying ceiling of the helicopter to put AgustaWestland in the race.

Edited by Manoj Sharma