Antony orders probe into VVIP copter deal

[WMD]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

NEW DELHI: US president Barack Obama had found a variant of the AW-101 helicopters too exorbitant to pass muster in 2009. But the Indian government had no such qualms while inking the Rs 3,546-crore deal for 12 plush AW-101 helicopters just a year later in 2010.

The American "Marine One", the call sign of the US Marine Corps helicopter which ferries the US President, would of course have been much more high-tech and "souped-up" helicopter compared to the Indian variant.

Obama had shot down the Marine One project, under which the US Navy was to have acquired 28 helicopters, after cost escalations had taken the overall cost to over $13 billion in June 2009, as per some estimates.

Money, instead, was invested to upgrade the existing US Presidential helicopter fleet. Last heard, another AW-101 variant was again in contention to bag the US Navy's latest programme to develop the "Marine One Presidential Helicopter".

Three of the 12 AW-101 choppers contracted by India — eight in VVIP configuration and four in non-VVIP - have already been inducted in the IAF's elite Communication Squadron, which ferries around the President, PM and other VVIPs, at the Palam airbase. They are slated to replace the ageing Russian-origin Mi-8s and Mi-17s being currently used to fly VVIPs within the country.

Indian VVIPs have been getting plush new aircraft and helicopters to travel in style and security over the last decade. The AW-101s, for instance, have robust self-defence systems like missile-approach warners, chaff and flare dispensers and directed infra-red electronic counter-measures to protect VVIPs on board. In the VVIP configuration, they ferry only 10 passengers instead of the usual 40.

Another concern of the Special Protection Group (SPG), which provides proximate security to the PM, was the helicopters have "a high tail boom" to allow cars to come right next to the rear exit staircase without "exposing" VVIPs to a threat from anyone in the vicinity.

Earlier, India had inducted five mid-sized Embraer 135BJ Legacy jets, under a Rs 727-crore deal in September 2003, and three Business Boeing Jets (BBJs), under a Rs 937-crore contract in October 2005, for the travel of VVIPs. The BBJs also have advanced self-protection suites to guard against missiles and other threats. While the Legacy jets replaced old HS-748 Avros with the Communication Squadron, the BBJs substituted the two 737-200 aircraft bought in 1983.

Major defence scams

Jeep Scandal: One of the first scandals to hit independent India, and definitely the country's first brush with allegations of impropriety in defence procurement. In 1948, Indian high commissioner in Britain V K Krishna Menon was accused of bypassing procurement protocols to sign a deal worth Rs 80 lakh to buy 155 jeeps from the UK. Many also alleged they were second-hand jeeps. Government did not permit a judicial inquiry. Menon went on to become India's defence minister.

Bofors Scandal: The most infamous of all defence scandals the country has seen. Allegations emerged in the late 1980s that there were kickbacks in the purchase of Bofors guns from Sweden. Several high profile individuals figured among the accused, the investigations went on for many years and finally ended in a whimper. It brought down the fortunes of the young Rajiv
HDW Scandal: Allegations emerged in 1987 that the German defence firm had paid a commission for the purchase of submarines by India, in the early 80s. Former Navy chief and one of the architects of the 1971 war, Admiral S M Nanda, was among those raided. The CBI closed its investigations, failing to find any evidence of the alleged payment of bribes.

Tehelka Tapes: Two reporters who went around as representatives of a fake defence firm recorded many key political leaders, military officers and civil servants talking in detail about how bribes were paid in defence deals. Defence minister George Fernandes had to resign after his party's treasurer boasted in the tapes about collecting bribes along with Jaya Jaitly from arms dealers. Specific evidence emerged of paybacks in purchase of Barak missiles from Israel, upgunning of artillery guns etc. No major breakthrough in CBI investigations until today. It has closed at least one of the cases without any evidence.

Denel Scandal: Allegations emerged in South Africa that Denel, a government-controlled firm which had supplied anti-material rifle to Indian Army, had paid bribes to middlemen for the Indian contract. Chargesheet yet to be filed.

Sudipto Ghosh Scandal: In 2009, the CBI arrested the just-retired chief of Ordnance Factory Board Sudipto Ghosh and several of his associates for fixing contracts of OFB. After CBI found evidence of bribery, the government in March 2012 blacklisted six companies for 10 years -- Singapore Technologies, Israeli Military Industries, Germany's Rheinmetall Air Defence, Russian firm Corporation Defence, Indian firms T S Kisan & Company and R K Machine Tool.

Abhishek Verma Scandal: The son of former members of Parliament is in jail, and he and his wife are accused of stealing defence secrets and accepting bribes from defence firms. Investigations are continuing into the affairs of Verma, who may have also had a role in the VVIP helicopter deal.

India bought helicopters Obama rejected as ‘costly’ - The Times of India

 

[Sakal Gharelu Ustad]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

Italian connection!!

Its always there I believe.

 

[Yusuf]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

The mother of all defence scandals is our bloody lack of home grown products. Not that there will be no scandal if Indian companies were competing, but the west makes total suckers out of us with their highly priced products which wins because if kickbacks.

 

[Ray]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

VVIP copter deal to be scrapped if charges proved: Antony

Anthony must realise closing deals is not the answer.

The answer is nabbing the culprits of India, no matter how high they are and then giving them the same treatment as it is given in China!

In so far as the deal is concerned, it is NOT a defence deal.

It is a civil deal for VVIPs and has nothing to do with the IAF in particular.

IAF is only the evaluating agency based on the PMO's specifications and the directions.

The decision to buy or not to buy is with the bureaucrats, more so, those of the PMO.

Manmohan would know best!

 

[Sam2012]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

Saint antony Dhothi will be on fire if UPA does not win in 2014 polls, his tenure has become mixture of controversy , scam

Antony soon RIP

 

[Blackwater]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

in nut shell india will get nothing for another 100 yrs.

zaidu pls advance for gajwa-a-hind.

 

[Daredevil]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

It seems the culprits have already rehearsed on what to do when caught. Again, there might be no proof because transactions in India happened by cash.

Shocker: Italy names ex-Air chief in chopper bribery scam

When reports first emerged last year, as part of an investigation in Italy, that Agusta Westland's sale of 12 AW101 helicopters to India was tainted by kickbacks, Defence Minister AK Antony immediately ordered a probe by his Ministry. Given his reputation for personal probity, 'St Antony' signalled that he would get to the bottom of the Rs 3,548-crore deal to secure helicopters for VVIPs; he even instructed Indian diplomats in Italy to keep track of the investigation there and keep him informed.

But, of course, the cardinal rule of investigations into corruption in India is that if you don't want to find evidence of corruption, you won't. So after writing proforma letters to the Italian and British authorities, the babus in the Defence Ministry expressed an inability to carry forward the investigation since there had been no response from those countries. (Perhaps the letters were sent by Speed Post"¦)


The skeletons are tumbling out of the cupboard of the AW1-01 chopper deal. Courtesy: Agusta Westland

If Antony and Defence Ministry officials really wanted the investigation to yield results – and names – there were plenty of leads to be had closer home, in Indian media reports. The Indian Express, which has inarguably done the most diligent follow-through on the Agusta Westland deal, has over the past year published several reports on the Indian end of the transaction, particularly the allegation that Indian middlemen too had received kickbacks to seal the deal. The newspaper had even published the names of the beneficiaries, including – sensationally – a 'Julie' Tyagi, the cousin of the former Air Force chief SP Tyagi, during whose tenure the Agusta Westland deal was finalised in 2006.

But perhaps in the belief that the story had gone cold, and that nothing would come of it, neither 'St Antony' nor his babus acted on these potent leads. Today, the folly of that decision is coming back to bite them – and haunt the UPA government.

It now turns out that SP Tyagi has been formally named by Italian investigators as one of those to whom Finmeccanica, the parent company of Agusta Westland, paid bribes to swing the deal in favour of the company. Carrying forward its diligent investigation, Indian Express reports (here), citing the preliminary inquiry report that Italian investigators filed to secure the arrest of Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi on Tuesday, that Italian prosecutors have alleged that SP Tyagi was instrumental in clinching the deal and was paid "certain amount of money, not yet quantified" through intermediaries.

The revelation is a bombshell that should have enormous repercussions, even in a country long inured to sensational allegations about corruption in defence deals. This is perhaps the first time that a Service chief has been formally named by foreign investigators as the beneficiary of a bribe paid to secure a defence contract.

The Indian Express further reveals that the Italian preliminary inquiry report names Julie Tyagi (whose official name is Sanjeev Kumar Tyagi) and two of his brothers – referred to as Sandeep Tyagi and Docsa Tyagi – as the Indian intermediaries who were paid kickbacks, which they then passed on to Indian officials. The payments were facilitated by Orsi, who was arrested on Tuesday, two other middlemen – Guido Haschke and Christian Michel – and Carlo Gerosa, a business associate. Haschke and Michael are middlemen who are known to be active in the defence procurement industry in India, with claimed links to both the Congress and the BJP.

The most sensational portion of the preliminary inquiry report is where it says that the facilitators "promised and managed to pay, through brothers Julie Tyagi, Docsa Tyagi and Sandeep Tyagi, a certain amount of money, not yet quantified, to Air Chief Marshal Shashi Tyagi, Chief of Staff in the Indian Air Force from 2004 to 2007 – a public officer or anyway in charge of functions and activities equivalent to those of a public officer in India – to perform and for having performed a deed against his office duties."

Significantly, the technical requirements for the contract were tweaked by India to allow the AgustaWestland helicopter to enter the bidding process, the report adds. The first tender that was floated for the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters specified that the helicopters should be able to fly at 6,000 metres. But in a second tender, floated in 2006, lowered that altitude specification, which allowed the AW 101 to qualify.

The preliminary enquiry report alleges that kickbacks of the order of 51 million euros (about Rs 400 crore) were paid – much of it in India, but also in Italy.

Last year, when SP Tyagi's name first cropped as a close relative of Julie Tyagi, the Delhi-based businessman and consultant, the former Air Chief had acknowledged that the two were indeed related, but denied that they had any business links. Today, following the sensation allegation from Italian prosecutors, the Air Chief may have yet more explaining to do.

But it appears that in this case, the 'money trail' may not be easy to establish. In an earlier recorded conversation that Italian investigators have audio recordings of, the middleman Haschke tells Gerosa that if he were questioned by Indian courts about the alleged kickbacks, he would say that he blew up the money on "ballerinas and champagne". In any case, since the kickbacks had been paid in cash, there would be no money trail, he said.

According to documents submitted last year by Italian investigators, during the conversation, Gerosa plays the role of an Indian judge to test Haschke's reflexes at lying about the 'slush funds' that he had received from Finmeccanica (some of which were paid to Italian politicians).

In that role, Gerosa asks Haschke: "Tell us, you collected the money, where have you kept it?"

To which, Haschke responds: "Eh, I collected it, it's my f***ing business where I have kept it. I didn't pay anyone."

Gerosa: "Ok, but where have you kept it?"

Haschke: "I wasted it on ballerinas and champgne. And then"¦

Gerosa: "Yes, but 10-15 million euros on ballerinas and champagne"¦"

Haschke: "Ballerinas and champagne. They anyway have to demonstrate I took it (the money)"¦

In another part of the conversation, while discussing the payments to Julie Tyagi, Gerosa says that Indian prosecutors would never be able to prove corruption in the deal – because the payments were made in cash. In any case, he says, the Indian investigators are "morons' and there is no link.

Gerosa says at one point that while both Haschke and himself, being men in the front, were vulnerable, "the only one who has no risks is Julie"¦ There is really no link there because, I mean"¦ cash."

To which Haschke says: "Exactly, so they (the judges) will never be able to prove that corruption was there.

All this material has been floating around in Italian and Indian media accounts for many months now. If Antony or his Defence Ministry officials needed leads to investigate, they needn't have been waiting for responses from foreign governments.

On Tuesday, after news of Orsi's arrest became public, the Indian government ordered an investigation by the CBI into the allegations. Given the CBI's record of investigations into corruption cases, it seems fair to say that this is just another ploy to bury the matter.

What does it say of a government that, even after the high-decibel clamour for action against corruption in high places, including in defence deals, it has failed to act when presented with strong enough leads in a case where, today, the former Air Chief of the country stands accused of having accepted bribes.

When former Army chief Gen VK Singh made his sensational claim last year that he had personally been offered a bribe by a former army officer who was now an arms agent, it created quite a stir. But the outrage of that moment dissipated soon enough in the campaign of calumny against VK Singh for having blown the whistle on corruption in defence procurement. VK Singh has subsequently shown himself to be less than balanced in his political pronouncements, but that ought not to take anything away from his expose of corruption.

A generation ago, the Bofors scandal broke because of a revelation by the Swedish National Radio about kickbacks paid to the family associates of Rajiv Gandhi. Investigators in India effectively tried their damnedest to torpedo that investigation at every stage, but because there was a Swedish whistleblower who had an interest in getting the truth out (to target his own government's culpability in the deal), the skeletons just kept tumbling out.

Likewise, today, the investigation in Italy began with allegations that Italian politicians had been paid bribes in the Agusta Westland's deals – not just in India but elsewhere. India came on the radar only peripherally. But now that the facts are out, and a former Air Chief stands accused of having accepted bribes, the least that the government owes is an honest investigation into the scandal, which has the potential to grow bigger.

Shocker: Italy names ex-Air chief in chopper bribery scam | Firstpost

 

[Yusuf]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

I fear the worst for MRCA. Stories did the rounds of a $2billion kickbacks.

 

[sayareakd]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

I need to be in this defence business

 

[Daredevil]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

Finmeccanica chopper scam grows murkier: Key developments so far

The scandal surrounding Finmeccanica Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Giuseppe Orsi has grown even murkier. A day after he was arrested by Italian police over alleged bribes paid to secure the sale of 12 AgustaWestland executive aircraft when he was head of the Finmeccanica helicopter unit, Ex-Airforce chief SP Tyagi has been formally named by Italian investigators as one of those to whom Finmeccanica, the parent company of Agusta Westland, paid bribes to swing the deal in favour of the company.

As the controversy unfolds, we bring you key facts of the scam.

* Augusta Westland, one of Finmeccanica's most profitable subsidiaries, won a government contract to build choppers which would be used by the President, Prime Minister and other VVIPs after it edged out Sikorsky's S-92 Superhawk. The new helicopters were being procured to replace the ageing Russian-made Mi-8 helicopters. The first helicopters were due to be delivered by December 2012 after the 560 million euro ($749.2 million) contract was awarded to Finmeccanica in 2010.

* According to reports in an Italian daily 'La Repubblica', slush funds (a reserve of money used for illicit purposes) were generated after a "sudden" escalation of price by 10 million euros in 2010. The reports say while it is not clear whether kickbacks were paid in India, the money was allegedly used by a top Finmeccanica official to bribe Italian political parties.

* In February 2012, Defence Minister AK Antony ordered a probe into allegations that government officials were involved in taking kickbacks for changing the terms and conditions of the deal in favour of the Italian company.

* Finmeccanica Chief Executive and Chairman Giuseppe Orsi was reportedly arrested on Tuesday, for alleged bribes paid to secure the sale of the choppers. Interestingly, Orsi had been tasked with rebuilding the group's reputation after a corruption probe forced out former boss Pier Francesco Guarguaglini.

* The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said Italy had not shared details of the corruption probe into the helicopter sales, while the defence ministry said it could not immediately comment on the issue.

* Ex-Airforce chief SP Tyagi has been formally named by Italian investigators as one of those to whom Finmeccanica, the parent company of Agusta Westland, paid bribes to swing the deal in favour of the company.

Finmeccanica chopper scam grows murkier: Key developments so far | Firstpost

 

[rock127]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

I need to be in this defence business

We all need.

We can have good earning and follow our passion as well...

 

[Shirman]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

So my next pass time business management project would be :-

1).Challenges faced for doing defense deals in India

2).How do we clean Indian Defense Ministry of how to make Indian Defense Ministry work efficiently and effectively as possible

3).A SWOT analysis of Indian Defense STRENGTH, WEAKNESS, OPPORTUNITIES n THREATS while doing Defense deals in India.........

4).How could we at least emulate n Copy the working pattern of ministry of defense of other countries........


5).How will it benefit the Indian defense Market , Develop a Model to make happy to both Domestic defense industry and lucrative to International Defense Giants.....I am talking about Industrial Defense Complexes......

 

[Daredevil]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

VVIP chopper scam: St Antony needs to be decanonised

With the AgustaWestland helicopter payoff scam now blowing up in the UPA's face, Defence Minister AK Antony is again in the eye of a storm.

This is ironic, for Antony – St Antony to his admirers – is one of the cleanest ministers in the UPA. Never in his life has Antony ever been accused of making one dishonest rupee, and the assets he has declared show that he is the poorest in this Union cabinet – even poorer than Honest Manmohan.

However, the real tragedy of the UPA is that it has not reconciled the issue of personal honesty with institutional responsibility and probity. Which is why St Antony too deserves to be in the same doghouse as Manmohan Singh.

The question we need to ask is simple: is honesty the same as not taking a bribe for personal aggrandisement? Or is it a wider ethic? Is selling the interests of the nation down the river an act of honesty even if you haven't personally made money from it?

Judged by a higher standard of ethics, neither Manmohan nor Antony comes off smelling of roses. Manmohan Singh did nothing to prevent A Raja's 2G scam, or the Commonwealth Games scandal, or even Coalgate or Vadragate.

But his inability to stop what he thinks is wrong relates not only to the economic sphere, but even politics. This morning's Economic Times says the PM was "upset" that Afzal Guru's family was not informed in time about his impending hanging.

Let's assume he really was "upset". But if we assume that the hanging at least had the PM's sanction, could he not have asked the home minister to ensure that all the norms and procedures were followed? What is the point in being upset after allowing a wrong to happen? And, even assuming Sushil Kumar Shinde did this in a solo operation, why can't the PM sack him even now?

If Manmohan Singh's honesty is too shallow to take seriously, Antony appears no different.

In the Agusta helicopter deal, where India signed up for 12 AW-101 helicopters for a price of €560 million, an Italian investigation has established that bribes amounting around €51 million (around Rs 368 crore at current exchange rates) may have been paid to middlemen.

Though bribery was suspected as far back as in 2009, St Antony did nothing. It is only when the Italians ended up arresting Finmeccanica CEO Guiseppe Orsi yesterday, did Antony order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Finmeccanica is the parent of AgustaWestland.


. Is it possible for any honest minister to not be aware of the contours of the commission and the deal? Reuters

Now why would Honest Antony, whose name is a byword of integrity, not order a probe earlier? Was it because of his extreme loyalty to Sonia Gandhi, and the fear that the mere whiff of an Italian connection in a defence deal might implicate the first family in some way?

That can't be the case, for Antony has been less than forthcoming in several other corruption cases involving defence deals too.

It was the same with the Tatra army truck, where too kickbacks are alleged to have been paid. Last year, General VK Singh, fighting another battle to correct his date of birth, disclosed that he was offered a Rs 14 crore bribe to okay the deal, and even reported this to Antony. But Antony did not act on it till the general talked to the media about it.

There's more. In the run-up to the 2009 general elections, a big newsbreak involved the payment of a huge "commission" in a Rs 10,000 crore defence deal involving Israel Aerospace Industries.

As we noted before, Antony's ministry allowed the Israeli firm to bill a huge Rs 600 crore as "business charges", and failed to kick up a storm over this clause in the agreement.

Note the timing of the deal: it was signed in February 2009, just weeks before the UPA government announced dates for the May general elections. Is it possible for any honest minister to not be aware of the contours of the commission and the deal?

Where did the commission money go? What were the business charges incurred? For a much smaller payment of Rs 64 crore, Rajiv Gandhi got himself entangled in the Bofors controversy. He could never wash off the stigma. But a Rs 600 crore payment under Antony has completely gone under the radar (Read the full story here).

This is the problem with Honest People. Like Manmohan Singh, Antony has been used by others as a shield to deflect criticism about possible corruption. But in the process, we avoid seeking honest answers from these honest people.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, writing in Antifragile, says ethics has to transcend personal probity. He proposes a new ethical rule: "If you see fraud and do not say fraud, you are a fraud."

By this yardstick, St Antony needs to be decanonised.

VVIP chopper scam: St Antony needs to be decanonised | Firstpost

 

[Daredevil]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

Chopper deal may be too hot to handle for UPA

The emerging scam in the sale of 12 Italian-made Augusta Westland helicopters for the exclusive use of VVIPs, including the prime minister, is sure to rock the UPA II. The Italian government's move to arrest its own citizen, Giuseppe Orsi, current CEO of Finmeccanica Group, for alleged corrupt practices in signing the Rs 4000 crore sale agreement with India has already put the Manmohan Singh government on the defensive. Alarmed by the swiftness of Italian government, Defence Minister AK Antony has now ordered a CBI investigation in the deal.

The main opposition party, the BJP, has promptly jumped on the issue to target the Congress-led UPA and is calling the proposed CBI inquiry a cover up exercise. BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said, "It is ironical that India, whose exchequer was under loot, is keeping silent on the issue and Italy, which benefited from the said deal, is taking action on its own citizen. This is a classic example of cover up by corruption-ridden UPA government at the Centre." The BJP is getting all its ammunition ready to fire on the Congress in the coming budget session of Parliament.

Javadekar had earlier written on the subject to the defence minister but did not get any substantive response. He had been filing questions on the subject since the last budget and winter sessions. Now, since the Italy has already acted and arrested CEO of the company that supplied the VVIP choppers, this could be the one big issue that opposition had been looking to raise the political temperature against the UPA. Amid speculations of early polls, the BJP would hope to see it become some kind of Bofors II.

Whether it would be politically explosive for the Congress would depend on what details come up during the course of investigation. For now it is good fodder. The Bofors issue has proved that Italy and defence deals make a perfect political recipe for the opposition to exploit.

Orsi was the CEO of Augusta Westland in 2010 when the deal for a dozen VVIP helicopter was signed with India. India has signed a contract with Augusta Westland—a subsidiary of Italian Finmeccanica Group—for procuring 12 helicopters (eight VVIP versions) at a total cost of €556.262 million (Rs 3893 crore approximately). State-controlled Finmeccanica had previously said that it has always done business in India through official channels. In a statement in February, the company said, "AgustaWestland is not involved in any irregularity concerning the supply of helicopters in India. No notice related to the investigations has been served."

As per the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) an integrity pact needs to be signed between the buyers and the bidders for all procurement schemes amounting to Rs 100 crore and above.

The matter had briefly come up in Parliament during the winter session when some members asked questions on the deal. Antony had then said that the "Defence Ministry is constantly pursuing the matter and committed to take suitable penalty measures in event of allegations being substantiated. However, in the absence of any specific information in this regard, government has not ordered any formal inquiry into the case so far," He had added that the contract contained the standard clause relating to penalties for use of undue influence – Any breach of these provisions entitles the Defence Ministry to cancel the contract and all of any other contract with the company.

After the news of Italian government placing Augusta Westland CEO under house arrest broke today, the government maintained that the Italian government never passed on the details to India. "We had asked the government of Italy through our mission in Rome for details of the investigation but were told that it is a judicial process and the government of Italy is unable to share any information. That remains the position even today," the external affairs ministry spokesman said.

The UPA government will need to do a lot more firefighting. Defence deals have always been sensitive political issue.

Chopper deal may be too hot to handle for UPA | Firstpost

 

[nrj]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

All eyes on Naik now.....

Former IAF chief admits meeting middleman at cousin's place

NEW DELHI: Former IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, whose name has surfaced in the VVIP helicopter scam, today admitted having met one of the alleged middlemen but claimed innocence.

"I have met Carlo in my cousins' place but when you say you have contact with him, then the answer is no. What connection could I have with him. I want to tell you that the whole process started after I retired... the entire process of evaluation, trials, contracts took place in 2010," Tyagi told reporters.

The former IAF chief refuted allegations that he was paid bribes to swing a Rs 3,600 crore deal for procuring 12 choppers from Italian firm Finmeccanica to ferry VVIPS.

"I am innocent. These allegations are totally baseless and I am denying them categorically. The deal was signed in 2010 whereas I retired in 2007 itself," he said.

Names of Tyagi's three cousins Julie, Docsa and Sandeep Tyagi have also figured in reports suggesting that they had also a role to play in clinching the deal. He denied that his relationship with his cousins had any business dimension.

Asked if he had changed any specifications for the contract to favour Finmeccanica, Tyagi said the "staff qualitative requirements for the VVIP choppers were frozen in 2003, much before I assumed the office of Chief of Air Staff, and the IAF did not change any requirements after that."

Reports today suggested that Italian investigators have alleged in a preliminary inquiry submitted in an Italian court that business conglomerate Finmeccanica bribed S P Tyagi when he was chief of the Indian Air Force to swing the controversial AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal in favour of the company.

After the arrest of Finmeccanica's head yesterday in Italy in connection with the controversial deal, the Defence Ministry here ordered a CBI probe into the charges.

VVIP helicopter scam: Former IAF chief admits meeting middleman at cousin's place - The Times of India

 

[Daredevil]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

Kickbacks came through monthly remittances, ended Dec 2012: Italy

The Italian investigation report into the VVIP AgustaWestland chopper scam has alleged that part of the Euro 51 million kickbacks that were allegedly paid came in the form of monthly remittances that were disguised as payments made for engineering contracts.

Italian investigators have managed to piece together evidence that at least Euro 21 million was paid through engineering contracts on a monthly basis between 2007 and 2011. The payments were allegedly made through two companies – IDS India and IDS Tunisia.

The report says money was paid partly through a 'consultancy contract between AW and Gordian Services Sarl (a company which is attributable to them)' and later engineering contracts.

''They signed engineering contracts with companies IDS India and IDS Tunisia, to cover up the payment (still underway) of money to pay Indian public officials and the mediators Haschke and Gerosa (the two Switzerland based middlemen), in an economic operation in which compensations for mediations were not allowed," the report says.

As per the records mentioned in the report, a monthly payment of Euro 510,000 was being made to the IDS companies and that no taxes were being paid on the same. The report has detailed list of payments modes made and says the payments continued till as late as December 2012.

Kickbacks came through monthly remittances, ended Dec 2012: Italy - Indian Express

 

[Daredevil]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

Manu Pubby speaks on the Augusta Westland chopper deal - Express Exclusive - YouTube

 

[Daredevil]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

TIMELINE: Indian officials are 'morons', will take years to track links, middlemen had said

1. Indian helicopter deal sparks corruption row in Italy

- Probe by Italian prosecutors into allegations of corruption against state-backed defence major Finmeccanica casts shadow over the multi-million dollar deal that the company signed with India for 12 VVIP helicopters.

2. Antony orders probe into VVIP copter deal

- The Indian Express brings to light allegations of corruption against Finmeccanica. Defence Minister A K Antony orders probe into the matter. Sources say that Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma has been asked to look into the allegations of corruption in the deal

3. VVIP helicopters: Italian firm says deal above board

- Days after Defence Minister A K Antony orders a probe into allegations of corruption

in the deal, the Italian firm asserts there was no "irregularity" in the deal and that it had not received any notice of an offer.

4. India helicopter deal: Italy probes Euro 51 mn 'payoff'

- In its biggest ever corruption probe into defence agreements, The Indian Express reports that Italy was investigating whether a commission of 51 million Euros was paid by helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland to a Switzerland-based consultant for a deal to sell 12 VVIP helicopters to India

5. Antony seeks report on Italy chopper deal investigation

- A day after The Indian Express reported details of an Italian investigation into commissions allegedly paid for the procurement of 12 helicopters sold to India in February 2010, Defence Minister A K Antony asked for a fresh report on the matter. His ministry said any wrongdoing would attract the strict integrity clause.

6. Italian under probe was active in Indian defence sector

- The consultant whose offices in Switzerland were raided by Italian authorities was an "offsets expert" who has been very active in the Indian defence sector. Guido Ralph Haschke, who claims to provide 'Project Advisory Services', has in the past few years worked with several Indian companies and individuals either interested in investing in Italian entities or hoping to forge offset partnerships with foreign firms that have won Indian defence contracts.

7. Consultant in chopper deal held in Europe

- Police in Switzerland arrests 62-year-old consultant Guido Ralph Haschkea man who was raided by Italian authorities last year for allegedly taking a suspicious 51 million-euro commission in a deal to sell the fleet of high-end helicopters to the Indian government.

8. Get probe details from Italy, Antony tells officials in MoD

- The probe into corruption charges by the Italian authorities takes a serious turn with the Defence Ministry being instructed to get details of the investigation from Rome. Sources said Defence Minister A K Antony instructed officials to write to Italian authorities, requesting for information about the ongoing probe into the 2010 contract for Rs 3,546-crore.

9. Italy probe focuses on UK consultant

- The Italian probe into corruption charges in the helicopter deal focuses on a highly connected British consultant who was allegedly hired by the chopper manufacturer, Agusta Westland, to influence the contract. The consultant, identified as Christian Michel, was being investigated for receiving a portion of the Euro 51 million contract that was given by the manufacturer for Italian businessman Guido Haschke,

10. Lens on chopper firm's India head over commission

- The India head of helicopter manufacturer Finmeccanica comes under the scanner of Italian authorities who tapped his phone conversations with the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,546 crore contract. Italian prosecutors, who were investigating a series of corruption charges against Finmeccanica, tapped the phone of alleged middleman Guido Haschke as part of the probe into the deal.

11. Army officer sought $5 mn bribe: Italy probe

- Italian investigators find what they believe were documents of another tender for Army helicopters that claim an Indian Army brigadier demanded a bribe of $5 million to swing the contract for the firm.

12. Ex-IAF pilot among 3 Indians named in VVIP helicopter probe

- A preliminary report placed in a Naples court names 3 Indians among 15 people being probed by the Italian police in connection with the suspected payment of bribes.

13. MoD asks Italy for info, promises strong action

- A day after last report, the Defence Ministry says it has written to Rome requesting information on the alleged involvement of the officer.

14. In taped conversations, middleman talks about his unnamed Indian boss

- The alleged middleman in the VVIP helicopter deal with Italy has admitted in taped conversations that he laundered money in India and talks about an unnamed Indian from whom he takes orders. The consultant, Switzerland-based Guido Haschke, also expressed surprise in his conversations with colleagues that investigators found out the "correct amount" of commission that was allegedly paid for the deal.

15. Indian officials are 'morons', will take years to track links, middlemen said

- The alleged middlemen in the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal bragged that even if Indian investigators probed their role, they would find no money trail as the payments were made in cash, and that they would not be able to identify Sanjeev Kumar Tyagi as the person behind the affair, taped conversations revealed.

16. 'I will tell Indian judges I spent 10-15 million euros on ballerinas, champagne'

- About 10-15 million euros of the suspected kickbacks was believed to have been routed to India and the alleged middleman in the deal apparently planned to tell Indian courts, if he was questioned, that he blew up the money on "ballerinas and champagne", according to taped conversations with the Italian police.

17. Chopper deal kickbacks: 'India changed tech requirements to help Italian firm'

- India allegedly tweaked the technical requirements in the tender to procure 12 VVIP helicopters for the Air Force to help AgustaWestland enter the race, an associate of the suspected middleman in the deal alleges in his confession to Italian prosecutors.

18. Records confirm tender was altered, allowing AgustaWestland to qualify

- In the first corroboration of the findings of the Italian probe into corruption allegations in the VVIP helicopter deal of 2010, it emerges that critical technical requirements in the contract were tweaked by India, allowing Italian manufacturer AgustaWestland to enter the bidding competition.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/t...s-to-track-links-middlemen-had-said/1073585/0

 

[sayareakd]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

So my next pass time business management project would be :-

1).Challenges faced for doing defense deals in India

2).How do we clean Indian Defense Ministry of how to make Indian Defense Ministry work efficiently and effectively as possible

3).A SWOT analysis of Indian Defense STRENGTH, WEAKNESS, OPPORTUNITIES n THREATS while doing Defense deals in India.........

4).How could we at least emulate n Copy the working pattern of ministry of defense of other countries........


5).How will it benefit the Indian defense Market , Develop a Model to make happy to both Domestic defense industry and lucrative to International Defense Giants.....I am talking about Industrial Defense Complexes......

your project should be understanding Indian Defence market and how to make money out of it.

 

[anoop_mig25]

Re: VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks suspected - Another Bofors Scand

Congress+ BJP+

1) Azmal kasab execution 1 0
2) Modi winning gujarat election 0 1(Well it could be counted as Modi`s one rather then BJP)
3) rahul sppech--->made VP 1(Rather it should be zero) 0
4) Modi speech 0 1
5) afzal guru hanging 1 0
6) VVIP Helicopters Deal - Kickbacks 0 1(Assuming they donot blow it up)

Well both parties look tied up