Italy’s state-controlled AgustaWestland had allegedly kept aside Rs 217 crore as part of “corrupt activity” to bag India’s Rs 3,600 crore deal and its choppers became eligible only after certain required parameters were altered in the tender document.
According to the report filed by Italian investigators in an Italian court, the middlemen had agreed for a 7.5 per cent commission in the Rs 3600 crore for 12 VVIP helicopters.
Finally, the kickbacks were to the tune of about Rs 362 crore.
The payment of bribes through contracts between firms registered in Tunisia and India, was “still underway” when the scam was unearthed.
The report said CEO of Finmeccanica Giuseppe Orsi and AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini had paid 30 million Euros (Rs 217 crore) to one of the main middlemen Christian Michel.
“Orsi and Spagnolin, moreover, paid Micheal Christian a total amount of about Euros 30 million, partly destined to support the corruptive activity meant to bag the order and partly to implement the contract,” the document said.
The arrested CEOs of the two companies had also “paid Guido Ralph Hashcke and Carlo Gerosa (two other alleged middlemen), through a consultancy contract between AW spa and Gordian Services Sarl an amount of 400,000 Euros (about Rs 2.8 crore), of which 100,000 Euros (Rs 72 lakh) were paid cash to the Tyagi brothers (Julie, Docsa and Sandeep.)”
The report suggests that the middlemen had close contacts with the family of former IAF Chief Air Chief marshal S P Tyagi, particularly his three cousins.
Keywords: AgustaWestland, chopper deal
The whole world knows that most third world countries are corrupt - this
includes India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Every Defence or Multinational
corp who has come to India to get business has used a middle man & paid
bribes -> Bureacrats -> Politicians -> Govt officials -> Ministers.
This is a well oiled machine and will not be stopped easily as many so
called "Big & powerful" people gain from this arrangement.
If the Italian helicopter company has a reserve fund of 217 crores of rupees to pay bribes for the Indian defense procurement of 3600 crores of rupees worth of helicopters, the actual price of the helicopters will be 15% less. Since it is the Indian military involved in purchase of the helicopters, the Indian military can be bribed by any foreign country for any ulterior motive. All the military personnel should be put out for not only for the bribes, but also endangering the national security of India. If the military bribes are 15%, the civilian bribes for contracts, permissions, approvals and constructions for the government officials and politicians are about 25%, inflating the cost of the projects in India.
Just shows what the outside world thinks of India.
Stunned with the speed with which the investigation was carried out. How long would do you think the investigation would have lasted in our country?
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