British national Christian Michel, accused of routing a substantial chunk of the funds meant for graft to bag the VVIP chopper deal at the behest of AgustaWestland, undertook as many as 300 trips to India between 1997 and 2013.
The Enforcement Directorate, which is investigating the bribe money trail in the case, has now shifted its focus to some retired public servants who were extended hospitality by the alleged middleman, in the hope that it will uncover more information about Mr. Michel’s dealings.
Italian documents pertaining to the deal, which was scrapped by the Defence Ministry last year, have revealed that Mr. Michel received €30 million to help swing the Rs.3,700-crore deal in favour of the suppliers.
According to immigration records, the accused was a frequent flyer and had on most occasions obtained entry permissions on the pretext of undertaking pilgrimage. The ED first tracked down a few former employees of the operator and through them some of his close contacts were identified and questioned. It turned out that Mr. Michel, who now operates out of Dubai, mostly stayed in Lutyens hotel in Delhi.
The accused, who had strong links in the corridors of power, flew into India 20 times in 2011 and 12 times the next year. He undertook at least three trips within the first two months of 2013. He flew back to Dubai for the last time in February, days before the Central Bureau of Investigation instituted a preliminary enquiry into bribery allegations in the VVIP chopper deal.
The ED probe revealed that Mr. Michel transferred an advance of Rs.6 crore in 2005 from his Dubai-based firm Global Services to a company named Media Exim in Delhi for export of music CDs. However, the arrangement failed and the company was later penalised for Foreign Exchange Management Act rule violations.
The accused invested in five properties through locals. However, he disposed of four of them before the CBI registered a case against him. The ED plans to attach the fifth property, located in South Delhi’s posh Safdarjung Enclave, apart from a vehicle and a bank account with over Rs.50-lakh balance.
The ED also found that through a tour operator firm, Mr. Michel funded foreign travels and stay of over two dozen people, including at least four Indian nationals, in countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, France, Italy, Portugal and Singapore. The firm’s records revealed that Mr. Michel spent about Rs.4 crore on their tickets and stay in hotels.
The alleged middleman, the ED found, also financed foreign trips of retired Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command, Air Marshal Gautam Nayyar and his family between 2010 and 2013. The name of the retired Group Captain S.B. Sharma has also cropped up. Both have been summoned for recording their statements.
