Lawyer quizzed on middlemen links, ED probing trail of cash

Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan, one of the accused in the multi-crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal, told interrogators on Wednesday that he was “instrumental” in setting up IDS (Tunisia), a subsidiary of IDS (India), that has been named in the original FIR filed by the CBI.

The CBI extensively questioned Mr Khaitan Wednesday at its headquarters here. He had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, which is also investigating the case, in 2014. The CBI also questioned the former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi (Retd), for the third consecutive day on Wednesday. It is learnt that CBI sleuths asked certain specific questions from Mr Khaitan in front of the former IAF chief during their questioning.

The CBI has also called former Air Vice-Marshal N.V. Tyagi for examination Thursday on alleged irregularities in the deal. Sources said the former air vice-marshal was one of the officers who took part in the deliberations to reduce the specifications of VVIP helicopters. The ED has also asked the former IAF chief to appear before the agency on Thursday.

As far Mr Khaitan’s questioning is concerned, a source said: “The focus of questioning was his alleged links with Italian middlemen Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschkhe.” Sources claimed Mr Khaitan only admitted setting up the company and not any alleged transfer of funds through it. IDS Tunisia is a subsidiary of IDS India. The company was one of many through which the alleged bribes were routed by middlemen from AgustaWestland to other countries, sources said. The CBI had registered a case against AVM S.P. Tyagi along with 13 others, including his cousins and European middlemen. The allegation against the former Air Chief was that he reduced flying ceiling of the helicopter from 6,000 metres to 4,500 metres (15,000 ft), which put AgustaWestland helicopters in the race for the deal, without which its helicopters were not even qualified for submission of bids.

The CBI has again written to the external affairs ministry, urging it to speed up execution of its pending judicial requests on the case to eight countries through diplomatic channels. Sources said so far the CBI has got a complete response from Italy and a partial reply from British Virgin Islands, the UK and Tunisia. “It is yet to get a formal reply from UAE, Singapore, Switzerland and Mauritius,” a source said.

Widening its probe into the VVIP helicopter deal, the ED has begun probing the trail of cash which is suspected to have been paid as alleged kickbacks for the purchase of 12 helicopters. The ED, probing the money-laundering angle in the case, on Wednesday examined the head of a realty firm, Shravan Gupta. Mr Gupta’s name cropped up after it was found the alleged middleman, Guido Haschke, was an independent director of the firm from September to December 2009.

In another development, Italian judge Marco Maria Maiga, who delivered Agusta order, on Wednesday told a television news channel that while his trial focused on the Italian bribe-givers for the helicopter deal with Delhi, “my judgment does not give a clean chit to Indian politicians... It is up to India to now follow up on investigating its (own) politicians”. Late last month, he convicted top Agusta executives of bribing Indians to secure the VVIP helicopter deal.