The Former IAF chief, S.P. Tyagi, and his cousins were on Wednesday examined by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the alleged bribes paid by Italian firm AgustaWestland to clinch the Rs.3,600-crore contract for supply of 12 VVIP helicopters to India.
Air Chief Marshal (retired) Tyagi was questioned on developments pertaining to the deal during his tenure. He has already denied his role in the matter. His cousins, including Docsa and Julie Tyagi, were also examined by the agency as their names have cropped up in the investigations conducted by the Italian authorities.
The former IAF chief’s three cousins Docsa, Julie and Sandeep Tyagi, have been named by the CBI in the preliminary enquiry for their suspected links with Guido Ralph Haschke and Ferdinando Carlo Valentino Gerosa, alleged European intermediaries through whom the alleged bribe money was sent to India. The agency suspects that the money was transferred through two India-based companies Aeromatrix and IDS Infotech, whose employees have also been examined by the agency in Chandigarh.
While the CBI is trying to ascertain whether the changes brought to the specifications in the contract were due to any external influence, it is also trying to put together documents to unearth the money trail, if any. According to the Italian authorities, Rs.362 crore was paid as bribes in India to ensure that AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, bagged the deal.
Among those named in the preliminary enquiry are Aeromatrix chief executive officer Praveen Bakshi, its former director Gautam Khaitan, and the then directors, Mr. Haschke and Mr. Gerosa. The former Finmeccanica chief, Giuseppe Orsi, and the former AgustaWestland CEO, Bruno Spagnolini, besides alleged middleman Christian Michel, have also been named. The individuals and the companies being probed by the CBI have denied their involvement.
