A Delhi court on Tuesday allowed the Enforcement Directorate to interrogate Christian Michel, alleged middleman in the ₹3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal case, on money laundering charges.
Two-day questioning
Special Judge Arvind Kumar said the probe agency would interrogate him for two consecutive days from Wednesday for half-an-hour each in the morning and evening in the presence of an official of Tihar jail where he is lodged in judicial custody.
Earlier, Mr. Michel levelled several allegations against the probe agency, claiming that former CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana threatened him in Dubai that he would make his life hell inside jail if he did not toe the probe agency’s line in the investigation.
The accused also questioned the logic behind keeping him in jail no. 1 in ward no.6 where Kashmiri separatist leaders had been kept. He urged the court to shift him to jail no. 7 where he was earlier lodged along with prisoners charged with white collar crimes.
In his reply to the charges by the accused, the Superintendent of jail no. 1 said Mr. Michel had been kept in the high-risk ward no. 6 keeping in view his safety and security, and no Kashimiri or Pakistani inmates were lodged in the ward.
“Considering the totality of facts and circumstances, the jail authorities are directed to produce the jail records in respect of Michel as well as CCTV footage of previous five days,” the judge said. The case will now come up for hearing on March 14. Mr. Michel was arrested by the ED on December 22 last year after his extradition from Dubai.
