#Bruno Spagnolini

[defencecapital]

India said to ease ban on Italian firm Leonardo, but with strict riders

India said to ease ban on Italian firm Leonardo, but with strict riders

Photo: Agusta Westland’s AW-101 helicopter. New Delhi: India has removed restrictions to do defence business on Italian arms major Leonardo S. p. A., but with riders including the company not making any financial claims over past deals. India had barred Leonardo in its earlier avatar as Finmeccanica in early 2014, even before Narendra Modi was elected as prime minister, over reported kickbacks…

[ringoworld]

Confermato dalla Cassazione il proscioglimento dall'accusa di corruzione internazionale e false fatture per gli ex ad di Finmeccanica e Agusta Westland, Giuseppe Orsi e Bruno Spagnolini, in relazione alla vicenda delle presunte tangenti per la fornitura di elicotteri all'India.

Ma intanto la Piazzale Loreto mediatica e giudiziaria non chiederà scusa.

[sgtechs-in]

अगस्ता वेस्टलैंड : कोर्ट ने पूर्व IAF प्रमुख एसपी त्यागी को भेजा समन, 3 के खिलाफ गैर जमानती वारंट

अगस्ता वेस्टलैंड : कोर्ट ने पूर्व IAF प्रमुख एसपी त्यागी को भेजा समन, 3 के खिलाफ गैर जमानती वारंट

[ad_1] कोर्ट ने इटैलियन दलाल कार्लो गेरोसा, गाइडो हैश्के तथा राजीव सक्सेना को नए सिरे से गैर जमानती वारंट जारी किए हैं. [ad_2] Source link

[theblastblog]

AgustaWestland Scam: Delhi Court Refuses To Cancel NBWs Issued Against Shravan Gupta

The Court noted that it was 'clear' from the conduct of Shravan Gupta that he was not cooperative in the case and therefore his NBWs could not be cancelled.

In a major development in the AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper scam, the Special Court in New Delhi on Tuesday refused to cancel the non-bailable warrants (NBWs) issued against former managing director of realty major Emaar MGF Shravan Gupta.

The Delhi Court added that it was 'clear' from the conduct of Shravan that he was not cooperative in the case considering that he had not complied with nine summons that had been issued to him by the Encofremnet Directorate (ED). The Court thereby noted that the NBWs issued against Shravan would not be canceled.

Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar in his order observed, "He also did not appear before this court when the application was taken up for hearing. It only shows that the applicant is not willing to cooperate in the investigation."

While the Delhi Court had pronounced the verdict on December 5, the detailed order was released today. This also comes as a major indicator that Shravan Gupta might be arrested soon. Gupta had approached the court saying that his 'ill health' had not allowed him to comply with the summons since he was susceptible to COVID-19.

Gupta's role in the case came to light when officials found out that the businessman had ties with European middleman Guido Haschke, one of the key-accused in the case. Notably, Haschke was also a director on the board of Emaar MGF in 2009.

What is the AgustaWestland scam?

The Congress-led UPA government in 2010 signed the contract worth Rs 3,600 crores to procure 12 AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters. It was alleged that bribes were paid to middlemen and even politicians in the procurement.

The scam was first unearthed in Italy when the CEO of AgustaWestland Bruno Spagnolini was arrested by Italian authorities for bribing middlemen to secure the deal with the Indian Air Force (IAF). In 2013, an investigation began into allegations of bribery and corruption involving several senior officials and the helicopter manufacturer.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in September this year, filed a charge sheet naming the 15 accused including Christian James Michel in the VVIP Chopper scam. Michel is said to be one of the critical middlemen facilitating the deal. CBI had earlier alleged that firms of Michel received about 42.27 million euros for the purpose and the bribes were routed through his companies. He was extradited to India from UAE in 2018.

The involvement of senior Congress leader Kamal Nath's sons - Bakul Nath and Nakul Nath, nephew Ratul Puri and fellow Congress leader Salman Khurshid is also being looked into in the case based on accused Rajeev Saxena's statements.

KNOW MORE ABOUT

SHRAVAN GUPTA EMAAR MGF FRAUD            

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/politics/michel-sent-to-judicial-custody/

Michel sent to judicial custody

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday sent British national Christian James Michel, the middleman in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case, to judicial custody.

Michel, who was with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) since December 22, was produced before Special Judge Arvind Kumar around 2 p.m. who sent him to judicial custody.

The ED sought his judicial custody in connection with its probe into a money laundering case.

In the court, ED counsel D.P. Singh said the audit reports submitted during the trial of the Italian court appeared to be “factually incorrect” and hence it was required to to be seen whether the Italian court had based its decision on the same audit report.

Singh also informed the court that the investigation into Michel’s role had been fruitful.

“We have investigated how hawala cash circulated through multiple bank accounts,” he said, adding that the agency had identified Michel’s properties purchased out of the proceeds of crime.

“During questioning, Michel has given contradictory answers to various questions and he was not able to explain the contradictions,” Singh said.

The ED counsel also said that Michel had received euro 24.25 million and pound 16,096,245 from the AgustaWestland deal.

“During his interrogation, it was observed that he received money for other defence deals,” Singh said.

Michel was extradited to India on December 4 from the United Arab Emirates and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) got his custody till December 19.

Michel was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on December 22 and sent to a seven-day ED custody over money laundering charges by a court here. The court on December 29 again sent him to another seven-day ED custody.

Michel was earlier lodged in the Tihar Jail here in a related CBI case after the expiry of his custody with the CBI. He was questioned by the CBI till December 19.

Michel is one of the three middlemen being investigated by the CBI and the ED in the VVIP chopper deal.

In January last year, the ED lodged a request with the UAE authorities seeking extradition of Michel. Both the ED and the CBI had filed charge-sheets in bribery cases in Indian courts and non-bailable warrants were issued against the accused.

In its chargesheet, the CBI named former Indian Air Force chief S.P. Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi alias Julie, then IAF Vice Chief J.S. Gujral and advocate Gautam Khaitan as the four Indians involved in the scam.

Others named in the chargesheet included Giuseppe Orsi, the former chief of Italian defence and aerospace major Finmeccanica, and Bruno Spagnolini, former CEO of AgustaWestland, apart from middlemen Michel, Haschke and Gerosa.

[purpleavenuecupcake]

India: Maxi tangente Agusta Westland, le indagini continuano

Il portale di informazione Jurno riporta un interessante articolo sulla, oramai annosa vicenda Agusta-Westland in India. Parliamo della cospicua somma, oltre 50 milioni di euro, pagata nel 2010 da AgustaWestland per aggiudicarsi un contratto di 556 milioni relativo alla vendita di 12 elicotteri in configurazione VIP, destinati al trasporto dei membri del Governo di Delhi. La cifra sarebbe stata gestita da tre intermediari di varie nazionalità e versata in parte all’allora capo dell’Indian Air Force affinché cambiasse i requisiti della gara d’appalto e permettesse ad Agusta di vincerla. Una seconda parte della maxitangente sarebbe finita nelle loro tasche e una terza, si dice, tornata in Italia e confluita, dopo un vorticoso giro del mondo tra società offshore e paradisi fiscali. In Italia si attende sulla vicenda il verdetto della Corte di Cassazione, cui hanno fatto ricorso la Procura di Milano, l’Agenzia delle Entrate e il Ministero della Difesa  indiano dopo l’assoluzione al processo d’appello-bis degli imputati di corruzione internazionale: gli ex amministratori delegati di Finmeccanica, Giuseppe Orsi, e di AgustaWestland, Bruno Spagnolini. Nel frattempo in India l’indagine prosegue. Lo scorso dicembre il CBI, agenzia investigativa federale indiana, ha ottenuto l’estradizione da Dubai del più importante dei tre intermediari coinvolti nell’affare, il britannico Christian Michel, colui che avrebbe gestito il rientro di parte della presunta tangente in Italia. E’ di ieri la notizia che la sua richiesta di libertà provvisoria su cauzione è stata rifiutata dal giudice incaricato del caso. Qualche giorno fa l’India ha ricevuto e messo in custodia cautelare, sempre dopo estradizione concessa dagli Emirati Arabi, un altro personaggio-chiave, il lobbysta Rajiv Saxena, accusato di essersi occupato, insieme a Michel, del riciclaggio della tangente attraverso le sue società finanziarie di Dubai, delle Mauritius e di altre amene parti del globo. Non ha torto dunque il ministro Jaitley quando afferma che nessuno riesce a nascondersi se imbroglia l’India, Paese quanto mai orgoglioso e tenace come la sua storia ben dimostra. Va segnalato che, nel frattempo, il famoso contratto da 556 milioni è stato annullato e l’ex Finmeccanica (oggi Leonardo) è bandita dalle gare d’appalto indiane da quasi sei anni. Al riguardo, del mondo parallelo tra industria e malaffare è uscito in questi giorni un libro del giornalista Alessandro Da Rold Pecunia non olet, pubblicato dall’editore milanese Chiarelettere. Il volume di Da Rold è dedicato in particolare alle supposte attività di intermediazione svolte in Africa a favore di Agusta-Westland da un importante boss mafioso latitante, Vito Roberto Palazzolo, il tesoriere di Riina e Provenzano. Ma colloca la vicenda africana sulla tela di fondo della cultura gestionale e delle modalità operative del gruppo statale in quegli anni, in cui svetta in particolare la mega-tangente pagata in India. Scrive infatti Da Rold: «La “tangente indiana” è, di tutta la tormentata vicenda Finmeccanica, l’episodio più ampio per entità e conseguenze economiche, più delicato dal punto di vista delle relazioni internazionali. Tuttavia non si può dimenticare che si tratta solo della punta di un iceberg, che emerge in quell’“unitario disegno criminoso” evocato da Rosario Cantelmo (uno dei pm napoletani che hanno indagato su Finmeccanica – nda) e dimostrato dalla quantità e continuità di comportamenti ai limiti del lecito di cui la prima azienda italiana di difesa ha dato prova negli anni. Al di là delle responsabilità individuali, che spetta solo alla giustizia acclarare, la causa di questi eventi risiede probabilmente in un clima culturale, purtroppo comune a molte aziende di matrice statale, dove l’etica è fragile e viene considerata quasi un vezzo o un’ingenuità. E chi la pratica o la difende è visto come un pazzo o un “pericolosissimo” troublemaker e quindi isolato da un sistema interessato a promuovere non tanto la propria evoluzione, quanto la propria sopravvivenza.» Le ultime parole si riferiscono a Francescomaria Tuccillo, avvocato e manager napoletano, in quegli anni direttore della regione Africa subsahariana di Finmeccanica. Tra gli obiettivi che gli erano stati assegnati c’era, sulla carta, quello di ripulire la vasta rete di intermediari commerciali, eticamente assai discutibili, che il gruppo impiegava nei mercati africani. Così fece, arrivando anche a denunciare la presenza del latitante Palazzolo – da lui incrociato in un convegno a Luanda, incredibilmente organizzato dalla nostra Ambasciata – «in luoghi in cui non sarebbe dovuto essere, a fare cose che non avrebbe dovuto fare». Invece di un encomio, questa sua opposizione alla cultura dominante gli sarebbe costata molto in termini personali e professionali perché, per citare ancora Da Rold, «in ogni sistema di potere opaco e chiuso al nuovo, succede spesso che qualcuno indichi la luna e tutti guardino il dito».   Read the full article

[dailymagazinblog]

New Delhi [India], Dec 5 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is likely to file a supplementary complaint in the alleged AgustaWestland VVIP Helicopter Scam. A senior ED official told ANI that the agency is expecting more information to come out of middleman Christian James Michel once he is questioned by the ED. Michel, the alleged middleman in the Rs 3600 crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal, was sent to five days CBI custody on Wednesday. Once the CBI interrogation is over, the ED will take charge of the interrogation. The official told ANI that the Investigating Officers are preparing questionnaire to interrogate Michel. He further added that ED has enough evidence against Michel and that ED had filed a prosecution complaint last year where it was alleged that Michel had paid several people in cash. On 18th July 2018, ED filed Prosecution Complaint against 34 accused persons and companies including Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini, former Directors of Finmeccanica and AgustaWestland, former IAF chief S.P Tyagi and others in the case of AgustaWestland VVIP Helicopter Scam. The ED investigation revealed that the kickbacks were paid by AgustaWestland through two different channels. One channel was handled by middleman Christian Michel James and the other channel was handled by Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke. Gerosa and Haschke in collusion with Tyagi brothers (cousins of former IAF chief S.P Tyagi), conspired with Gautam Khaitan of M/s OP Khaitan and Company, Auditors and Solicitors based at New Delhi. Enforcement Directorate had earlier attached properties worth Rs 10 crores and froze shares worth more than Rs 150 crores belonging to Tyagi brothers, Gautam Khaitan, Carlo Gerosa, Guido Haschke, Christian Michel James and Rajiv Saxena. (ANI)

https://www.aninews.in/news/ed-likely-to-file-supplementary-complaint-in-agustawestland-chopper-scam201812051839540004/

[cakandivali]

Agusta middleman Christian Michel extradited

Latest Updates - M. N. & Associates - NEW DELHI: Alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper deal Christian James Michel landed in New Delhi late Tuesday night after being extradited to India in an operation under the guidance of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.The operation was coordinated by interim CBI Director M Nageswar Rao and a team of the agency's officers led by Joint Director Sai Manohar, the CBI said.The UAE government had cleared the extradition of 57-year-old Michel after his appeal against the move was turned down by a court there.His involvement in the chopper deal allegedly surfaced in 2012 as middlemen for swinging the deal in favour of AgustaWestland and making illegal payment of commission/kickbacks to the Indian authorities, CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said.Michel was wanted for investigation but he escaped and avoided joining the probe, he said.A charge sheet was filed against him in September last year."An open non-bailable arrest warrant dated September 24, 2015 was issued by the special judge, CBI cases, Patiala House Courts, New Delhi," he said.On the basis of this warrant, a Red Corner Notice was issued by the Interpol which led to his arrest in Dubai in February 2017, he said."Michel, who has been avoiding criminal proceedings in India in AgustaWestland case, is being extradited by the UAE authorities to India. Under the guidance of Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor (NSA), the entire operation is being coordinated by In-charge Director CBI M Nageswara Rao," he said.Michel was behind bars in Dubai since he was arrested and sent to custody pending the legal and judicial procedure in the UAE.The Dubai Court of Cassation dismissed the two objections filed by Michel's lawyers and upheld the appellate court's decision to consider the possibility of extraditing him to the competent Indian authorities.It is alleged that he entered into criminal conspiracy with co-accused persons which included the then IAF chief SP Tyagi and his family members and in pursuance thereof, the public servants had abused their official positions by reduction of service ceiling of the VVIPs helicopter from 6000 metres to 4500 metres.The reduction in ceiling made AgustaWestland eligible for contract worth 556.262 million Euros was awarded to it by Defence Ministry on February 08, 2010 for the procurement of 12 VVIP helicopters.He is allegedly described as a "historical consultant" of AgustaWestland Helicopters, UK with technical operational knowledge of the aircraft, the military bases and the pilots, the spokesperson said in a statement.Michel worked with the company since the 1980s and even before his father had also been a consultant of the company for the Indian Territory, it said.He was allegedly a frequent visitor to India and was operating as a middleman for defence procurement through a wide network of sources cultivated in the IAF and Defence Ministry at different levels including retired and serving IAF officials, the agency said.Michel allegedly shared the information collected from the IAF and the ministry with his associate(s), who used to transmit the despatches through FAX to the other counterparts sitting in Italy and Switzerland, the CBI said."In the aforesaid manner, he was updating and informing the management of Finmeccanica and AgustaWestland namely Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini and others about his efforts in India for securing supply contract of VVIP Helicopters," the statement said.In July 2006, a meeting was held in Cascina Costa, Italy where AgustaWestland's commercial manager Renzo Lunardi had proposed that Christian Michel will join other middlemen Ralph Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa in carrying out "scouting and monitoring activities" with regard to the acquisition of helicopters in India, keeping in view of his "knowledge of Indian military operational mechanism", it said.During the above meeting they had negotiated a comprehensive fees equal to 7 per cent of the supply contract amount to cover the expenses and fees of both of them.He allegedly entered into 12 contracts through two of his firms London-based Global Trade and Commerce and Dubai-based Global Services FZE with Finmeccanica to camouflage and legitimise the alleged bribe received by him for clinching the deal, the CBI said. Chartered Accountant For consultng. Contact Us: http://bit.ly/bombay-ca

[optimisticprincepainter]

A Delhi court Wednesday granted bail to former Air Force Chief S P Tyagi and others in a money laundering case related to the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam. Special judge Arvind Kumar granted bail to Tyagi and his cousins involved in the case and asked them to furnish a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh with one surety of the like amount. The bail was granted after they appeared before the court in pursuance to summons issued against them. The court had on July 24 summoned former AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica directors Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini, Tyagi and others as accused in the case. The court had asked the accused to appear before it today, while issuing fresh non-bailable warrants against Italian middlemen Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke and Dubai-based businessman Rajeev Saxena in the case. Besides the six, the court also summoned as accused 28 Indian and foreign individuals and companies, including lawyer Gautam Khaitan, AgustaWestland and its parent company Finmeccanica SPA.  The Rediff.com : 12th. Sept,18

COURT GRANTED BAIL TO FORMER IAF CHIEF S P TYAGI & OTHERS IN AGUSTAWESTLAND VVIP CHOPPER CASE : A Delhi court Wednesday granted bail to former Air Force Chief S P Tyagi and others in a money laundering case related to the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam.

[lazyupdates]

AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam: Delhi court to consider ED’s charge sheet tomorrow | Lazy Updates The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday told a Delhi court that it has enough evidence to prosecute former AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica directors Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini, and others for alleged money laundering in the VVIP chopper case.  Read Full Story

[noorarora1]

Delhi court to consider ED chargesheet in Agusta chopper case on July 23

A Delhi court will consider on July 23 whether to take cognisance of a charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the alleged AgustaWestland VVIP chopper bribery case related to money-laundering.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar fixed the matter for Monday while noting that the investigating officer was also not present.

The Enforcement Directorate said they have recorded unimpeachable evidence supporting allegations against all accused persons.

The probe agency had on July 18 filed a supplementary charge sheet in a Delhi court accusing former AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica directors Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini, and ex-IAF chief S P Tyagi of money laundering in a VVIP chopper bribery scam case.

It accused 34 Indian and foreign individuals and companies, including Tyagi, Italian middlemen Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke, lawyer Gautam Khaitan and Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland, of laundering money to the tune of around 28 million Euro.

[7amheadlines]

NEW DELHI: Citing insufficient evidence, an Italian appeals court on Monday acquitted Giuseppe Orsi – former chief of Finmeccanica and Bruno Spagnolini, then CEO of its subsidiary AgustaWestland – clearing them of charges that they paid bribes to Indian officials/private persons for...

[purpleavenuecupcake]

India, continua l'indagine: "AgustaWestland pagate tangenti per 42,27 milioni di euro per i 12 elicotteri AW101"

Il CBI (Central Boureau of Investigation) indiano ha riferito che AgustaWestland avrebbe dato a Christian Michel 42,27 milioni di euro per pagare politici e funzionari indiani per la vicenda della commessa dell’elicottero VVIP, lo riporta  la testata online indiana Timesnownews.com. Christian Michel, il presunto intermediario nella commessa, è stato estradato da Dubai in India, dopo aver scoperto  il trasferimento di denaro, in più occasioni, presso alcuni conti corrente di banche con sede a Londra. Secondo il rapporto pubblicato da  Times of India, l’autorità investigativa indiana ha inoltrato una rogatoria internazionale alle autorità britanniche per ottenere dettagli su questi trasferimenti sospetti. Le autorità  investigative indiane hanno, altresì,  affermato che AgustaWestland avrebbe pagato 42,27 milioni di euro per corrompere politici e funzionari indiani del ministero della Difesa e all'aeronautica indiana per ottenere il contratto di 12 elicotteri VVIP. Michel presumibilmente ha portato una grande quantità di denaro in "contanti" in India e secondo alcune fonti inglesi  altrettanto denaro, proveniente dalle tangenti, sarebbe stato trovato nei conti di due sue società - FPS Global Services e Global Trade and Commerce Service a Dubai. Il CBI aveva già tentato l’estradizione di Michel  nel 2017 e nel 2018 che si trovava a Dubai, libero su cauzione. Un ufficiale del CBI ha detto al Times of India: "Probabilmente si è reso conto che le autorità indiane lo stavano seguendo, quindi ha effettuato diversi trasferimenti di denaro in conti corrente nel Regno Unito". Secondo la CBI, la mossa di Michel di trasferire denaro alle banche di Londra farebbe  parte del suo piano di concludere le sue attività negli Emirati Arabi e di trasferirsi in Inghilterra. I rapporti dell’CBI hanno evidenziato  che Michel avrebbe tentato più volte di lasciare gli Emirati Arabi Uniti nel 2018, ma i suoi piani sono stati sventati ripetutamente dalle agenzie di intelligence indiane. Le indagini italiane Assolti per insufficienza di prove. L’ex-direttore di Agusta Westland Bruno Spagnolini e l’ex-amministratore delegato Giuseppe Orsi (foto) sono stati assolti nel processo d’appello bis per le presunte tangenti al maresciallo dell’aeronautica indiano Sashi Tyagi in cambio di una modifica alla gara d’appalto per la fornitura di 12 elicotteri Vip per il trasporto dei membri del governo del valore di 556 milioni di euro. Secondo i giudici di Milano, dunque, non è possibile condannare i due ex-manager dell’allora Finmeccanica (oggi Leonardo) in quanto non sarebbe provata la corruzione internazionale. Si tratta dell’ennesimo colpo di scena in questo procedimento che ha visto una condanna in primo grado per false fatturazioni (e assoluzione per la corruzione internazionale), condanna per entrambi i reati in secondo grado e annullamento delle condanne da parte della Cassazione che ha rimandato la vicenda alla Corte d’Appello. La vicenda risale al periodo 2008-2010 quando la società di Cascina Costa si aggiudicò la commessa dal governo indiano per la realizzazione di 12 elicotteri Aw101. Secondo la Procura di Busto Arsizio quella gara fu vinta grazie alla mediazione di Guido Haschke e Carlo Gerosa che, tramite una serie di società in Tunisia e conti alle Mauritius, fecero transitare circa 50 milioni di euro sui conti del maresciallo Tyagi e dei suoi fratelli per aver fatto abbassare la quota di volo nel bando e permettere alla società elicotteristica italiana di partecipare e vincere la gara.   Read the full article

[amishultimatehacker-blog]

AgustaWestland: Italy court acquits 2 executives

Giuseppe Orsi, former chief executive of the state-controlled defence group, formerly known as Finmeccanica, and Bruno Spagnolini, once at the head of helicopter unit AgustaWestland, were cleared of charges as “there isn’t sufficient proof”, according to the sentence read out in court. Click to read more : AgustaWestland: Italy court acquits 2 executives Source: Top Stories – India Times…

[optimisticprincepainter]

Former Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday said that it was the Congress party which initiated a probe into the AgustaWestland case and that the Gandhi family is not even remotely related with case.Antony, a Congress Working Committee member, also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of spreading false propaganda in the case.Addressing the media, Antyony said, “In AgustaWestland case, we took the decision to probe. The probe was our initiative, this case has nothing to do with the Gandhi family. This is a false propaganda by BJP.”The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday filed a fresh chargesheet in a the Delhi court accusing former AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica directors Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini and ex-Indian Air Force chief S P Tyagi of money laundering in the VVIP chopper bribery scam case.The chargesheet, filed before special judge Arvind Kumar in the Patiala House Court will be taken up for consideration on July 20.The investigation conducted and various documents collected so far revealed that Agusta Westland International Ltd., United Kingdom paid an amount of Euro 58 million as kickbacks through Gordian Services Sarl, Tunisia and IDS Sarl, Tunisia.These companies further siphoned off the said money in the name of consultancy contracts to the Interstellar Technologies Ltd., Mauritius and others, which were further transferred to UHY Saxena, Dubai, Matrix Holdings Ltd. Dubai and others.   The Rediff.com : 19th. July,18

FORMER DEFENCE MINISTER A K ANTONY SAID GANDHI FAMILY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH AGUSTAWESTLAND CASE : Former Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday said that it was the Congress party which initiated a probe into the AgustaWestland case and that the Gandhi family is not even remotely related with case.Antony, a Congress Working Committee member, also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of spreading false propaganda in the case.Addressing the media, Antyony said, "In AgustaWestland case, we took the decision to probe.

[wionews]

Italian appeals court acquits 2 in AgustaWestland case

An Italian appeals court on Monday acquitted two former Leonardo executives over a bribery case related to a large 2010 helicopter contract to the Indian government.

Giuseppe Orsi, former chief executive of the state-controlled defence group, formerly known as Finmeccanica, and Bruno Spagnolini, once at the head of helicopter unit AgustaWestland, were cleared of charges as "there isn't sufficient proof", according to the sentence read out in court.

In December 2016, Italy's highest court had ordered a re-trial of the case, after the former executives of the Rome-based group were found guilty on corruption charges related to a 560 million euros ($672 million) contract to supply a dozen helicopters to New Delhi.

A judge earlier that year had sentenced Orsi to four and a half years in prison for corruption and falsifying invoices and Spagnolini to four years in jail.

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