New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday accused the Modi government of “hatching a conspiracy” to implicate UPA chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi in the AgustaWestland case.
Congress communications chief Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “The accused Christian Michel was arrested in Dubai two days ago. In a statement made by Ms Rosemary Patrizi Dos Anjos, advocate for Christian Michel and his sister Ms Sasha Ozemen, she has said the Modi government was forcing Michel to sign a false confessional statement naming UPA chairperson Mrs Gandhi in return for complete exoneration from any charge.”
Mr Michel, the British middleman, wanted for allegedly organising bribes in exchange for a contract for VVIP helicopters, was reportedly detained in Dubai two days ago. The case involves a 2007 contract signed by the government for the purchase of 12 luxury helicopters for top leaders.
In 2013, the then government scrapped the contract amid allegations that the supplier AgustaWestland, whose parent company Finmeccanica ran into allegations of bribe-giving in Italy, had paid kickbacks in India. The UPA government cancelled the deal, blacklisted the company and asked the CBI to probe.
