Updated December 5th, 2018 at 09:44 IST
SUPER SCOOP: AgustaWestland middleman Christian Michel to be extradited to India tonight, confirms his lawyer. LIVE UPDATES here
In a gamechanging development that may go a long way towards getting to the bottom of one of India's most infamous defence procurement-related scams, top sources have told Republic TV that Agusta Westland middleman Christian Michel will be extradition from Dubai to India on Tuesday night. The same has been confirmed to Republic TV by Michel's lawyer.
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Update at 9:30 AM: As per sources, Christian Michel may be produced in court virtually, via in-camera proceedings.
Update at 9:25 AM: BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao has said that Christian Michel's extradition is a 'big win for the Modi government' and will spell a doom to the Congress.
Update at 8:30 AM: Robert Vadra has tweeted that the charges against him are due to a political witch hunt.
Update at 8:15 AM: Vijay Mallya has tweeted saying he is not being treated fairly by the politicians and the media. He has said that he is willing to principal amount of the loans
.
Update at 1:19 AM: AgustaWestland scam accused Christian Michel arrives at the CBI headquarters
Update at 12:32 AM: Officials with Michel leave from AIIMS and make a move to the CBI headquarters
Update at 12:20 AM: During the medical examination, Michel told doctors that he was feeling 'giddy'
Update at 12:15 AM: Delhi police beefs up security at the Patiala House Court. Michel will be produced at the court on Wednesday.
Update at 12:13 AM: Michel undergoing medical examination
Update at 12:10 AM: Michel taken to AIIMS in New Delhi for medical examination.
Update at 11:59 PM: Affidavit filed in front of two witnesses
Update at 11:42 PM: Christian Michel is being taken the CBI Headquarters. Seven vehicles belonging to the probe agency will escort Michel to CBI headquarters. CBI HQ has been fortified ahead of Michel's arrival.
Update at 11:19 PM: Christian Michel's extradition was codenamed 'Operation Unicorn': Sources.
Update at 11:18 PM: A team of special cell of the Delhi Police will assist the CBI to take Michel to CBI headquarters.
Update at 11:14 PM: Christian Michel will be taken to CBI Headquarters after medical check-ups.
Update at 11:11 PM: CBI has taken custody of Christian Michel. He is being taken out of the Palam Technical airport. He was on a Gulf Stream plane GLF3 which landed around 10:40 PM.
Update at 11:00 PM: Christian Michel to be briefly questioned at the Palam Technical Airport, before being taken into custody. CBI officials are present at the airport.
Update at 10:50 PM: Preparations begins in CBI court for proceedings upon the arrival of Michel in New Delhi
Update at 10:44 PM: Flight carrying Christian Michel touches down in New Delhi. He will be produced before CBI court.
Update at 9:37 PM: CBI issues press statement regarding extradition of Christian Michel James in AgustaWestland Case
Update at 9:30 PM: Christian Michel's team is in the lookout for an Indian lawyer
Update at 9:15 PM: First pictures of Michel in custody accessed by Republic TV.
Update at 7:58 PM: Subramanian Swamy has urged the Prime Minister to form a team of dedicated honest officers to interrogate the Agusta Westland case
Update at 7:26 PM: According to top sources in Dubai, Christian Michel is being brought to India through a special chartered flight from Dubai to New Delhi. Will be landing later tonight.
Update at 7:11 PM: Christian Michel will be produced in the Court of Special Judge, CBI in Delhi
Update at 6:55 PM: Christian Michel to land in India from Dubai between 10:30 and 11:00 PM tonight: Sources
Update at 6:50 PM: Dubai Government took custody of Christian Michel from Dubai police at 1 PM on Tuesday.
Update at 6:25 PM: Christian Michel taken to Dubai airport for flight to India: Dubai-based English daily
Update at 6:15 PM: It is a major victory for the PM. It is the Prime Minister who has developed good relations with the UAE and because of the confidence, he generated with UAE government they have helped us. Michel is a crucial witness. His father is a long-term friend of Sonia Gandhi.
In a gamechanging development and a big diplomatic win that may go a long way towards getting to the bottom of one of India's most infamous defence procurement-related scams, top sources have told Republic TV that Agusta Westland middleman Christian Michel will be extradited from Dubai to India on Tuesday night. The same has been confirmed to Republic TV by Michel's lawyer.
Earlier on Tuesday, sources had told Republic TV that Michel's extradition was in its final stages and that the British businessman could be brought to India within a matter of days. This came just two weeks after Michel's plea against his extradition was dismissed by Dubai's cassation court.
It was in September that Christian Michel's extradition had initially been ordered. During that hearing, Michel's representation argued that there was no case against him and that he had been acquitted by Italian courts. The Indian side, however, maintained that Michel had been a key player in the AgustaWestland chopper scam.
The ED, in its charge sheet filed against Michel in June 2016, had alleged that he received EUR 30 million (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland.
Michel is one of the three middlemen being probed in the case, besides Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa, by the ED and the CBI. Both the agencies have notified an Interpol red corner notice (RCN) against him after the court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.
Michel was a middleman in the deal to acquire choppers to be used for VVIPs in India that underwent numerous and questionable changes during the UPA regime, including allegations that the criteria were changed to suit a particular company. He may also hold the key to deciphering a notebook recovered in the probe into the AgustaWestland 'Choppergate' scam that contained numerous initials alongside what appeared to be sums of money.
Here's a timeline of the AgustaWestland scam:
August 1999: The Indian Air Force (IAF), which is responsible for carrying out VVIP communication duties, proposes replacement of Mi-8 helicopters and a global search for the replacement begins
November 2003: The then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee raises concerns over the single-vendor situation which leads to few recommendations to change some requirements to accommodate more vendors
March 2005: IAF allegedly dilutes requirements in the chopper acquisition, enabling AgustaWestland to complete after recommendations.
September 2006: Manmohan Singh-led PMO raises the requirement of choppers from eight to twelve
January 2010: After years of deliberations and changes in requirements, the Cabinet Committee on Security clears the deal for acquiring 12 VVIP choppers
February 2010: The Ministry of Defence signs the deal with UK's AgustaWestland
February 2012: Allegations of corruption while finalising the deal first surfaced in the Italian media after which the Indian Embassy in Rome was asked to submit a report on the allegations
February 2013: Giuseppe Orsi, CEO of Finmeccanica, the parent firm of AgustaWestland gets arrested by the Italian police
February 2013: The Ministry of Defence begins the process of cancelling the deal and examines holding back the payment to AgustaWestland. It issues a show cause notice to AgustaWestland for breach of contract and integrity pact
February 2013: CBI takes over case formally
February 2013: CBI begins preliminary inquiry against ex-IAF chief SP Tyagi and 11 others
March 2013: CBI files FIR against Tyagi and 12 others on charges of cheating and alleged criminal conspiracy in the VVIP chopper deal
November 2013: The deadline for answering the show cause notice for AgustaWestland was 26 November. The company officials meet Ministry of Defence officials to give their side of the story. Justice BN Srikrishna is roped in as the arbitrator by AgustaWestland
January 2014: UPA government formally scraps the deal with AgustaWestland
September 2014: Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrests Gautam Khaitan on allegations of kickbacks in the 3,600 crore deal
October 2014: An Italian lower court acquits Orsi and former AgustaWestland chairman Bruno Spagnolini
April 2016: A Milan Court of Appeals sentences Orsi to four and half years and Spagnolini to four years in jail on charges of false accounting and bribing Indian officials including Tyagi
April 2016: Christian James Michel, the middleman in the deal says he is willing to face Indian authorities for investigation. Michel writes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention. In his letter to Modi, the middleman also offers evidence related to the case of Indian investigating agencies. Michel, however, denies reports of him and his father being close to the Gandhi family
May 2016: Former IAF chief SP Tyagi interrogated for his links with the middleman
December 2016: CBI arrests SP Tyagi for alleged bribery charges and criminal conspiracy, marking the first-ever arrest of a former IAF chief
June 2018: CBI seeks middleman's extradition from Italy
July 2018: Delhi court summons ex-AgustaWestland, Finmeccanica directors
September 2018: A Delhi court on Wednesday granted bail to former Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi and his brothers in the AgustaWestland case
September 2018: Dubai Court Orders Extradition Of Christian Michel To India
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Published December 4th, 2018 at 18:06 IST
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