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Michel may be grilled on links of politicians and officials in AgustaWestland case
New Delhi, Dec 5 (IANS) The line of questioning of AugustaWestland middleman James Christian Michel by CBI may centre around ferreting out from him the names of defence personnel, politicians belonging to the UPA and government officials who had allegedly entered into a criminal conspiracy with him with others in facilitating the Euro 556.262 million contract for acquiring VVIP choppers.
Sources said the probe would also include the money trail of the kickbacks of Euro 42.27 million which was said to have been paid by the Finmeccanica Group to the firms of Michel as kickbacks.
Agency officials said the 57-year-old middleman would be confronted with documents recovered during raids by Swiss authorities and shared with the CBI through Letters Rogatory (LRs). The LRs are documents used for making request through a foreign court to obtain information from specified person/s within the jurisdiction of that court. “These indicate bribes paid by Michel to the Indian authorities for securing the contract for the supply of VVIP helicopters,” an agency source said.
CBI officials said public servants abused their position as they allowed reducing the service ceiling of the VVIP helicopter from 6,000 to 4,500 metres and a contract awarded to the AWIL, UK, by the Indian government through Ministry of Defence on February 8, 2010.
“Michel was imposed as a controller on the other two middleman (Ralph Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa) already roped in by AgustaWestland as they had no specific knowledge in the sector of helicopters. Renzo Lunardi, the then commercial manager of AgustaWestland, proposed his appointment to which the CEO of the firm Giuseppe Orsi (2005-2011) agreed,” a source said.
Officials said that former IAF chief S.P. Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi alias Julie, then Vice Chief of the Air Staff J.S. Gujral and advocate Gautam Khaitan can be summoned by the CBI again for questioning in the case. A CBI chargesheet has mentioned the four Indians.
Probe agencies had recovered hand-written diaries detailing the alleged kickbacks paid for the choppers. Michel has repeatedly denied writing the controversial diaries that mention “AP” and “family” while detailing the alleged kickbacks paid for the choppers. Michel has alleged that the diaries were written by Guido Haschke, another alleged middleman and a co-accused in the case.
Michel’s extradition comes as a major boost to the Indian agencies investigating the bribery angle in the contract. The action comes after the Court of Cassation in the UAE in November upheld a lower court order which said that Michel could be extradited to India.
Michel has been accused of bribing many politicians, officials and journalists to swing the deal. The Dubai government ordered his extradition on Tuesday.
In 2014, India scrapped the contract with Italian company Finmeccanica’s British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying the choppers to the Indian Air Force over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks for securing the deal after revelations made during a judicial trial against the company in Italy.
The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate had, meanwhile, started investigations in India.
–IANS
rak/vsc/prs
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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