AgustaWestland chopper scam: Middleman Michel spent crores on air travel of senior IAF officials - IBNLive
New Delhi: Two former Indian Air Force officers received favours from middleman Christain Michel in the multi-crore AgustaWestalnd VVIP chopper deal scam case. The two officers, who have already retired from the IAF, have been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate.
Michel had allegedly spent Rs 4 crore on air travels of top Indian officials, amongst them retired Air Marshal Gautam Nayyar. Michel had spent Rs 56 lakh on retired Air Marshal Gautam Nayyar and his family between 2010-2013, even after the officer had retired from the IAF.
He paid for Nayyar's air travel and luxury hotel stays abroad. Nayyar's wife Rachita, daughter Ruchi, son Gaurav and daughter-in-law Smridi also travelled at Michel's expense.
Nayyar made trips to several foreign countries and cities including Paris, London, Dubai, Los Angeles and Turkey with his family. He also travelled to Lisbon, Frankfurt, Rome, New York, Milan, Venice and Singapore.
Michel has travelled with Nayyar to London on many occasisons. Nayyar always travelled with another former IAF officer who has been identified as retired Group Captain Shashi Bhushan Sharma.
Nayyar and Sharma jointly owned two firms Diamond Air Maintenance and Pinnacle Aero Pvt Ltd.
The identity of Michel was revealed as the ED tracked down the complete money trail that was followed in the multi-crore VVIP chopper scam from Dubai to Delhi.
The ED tracked kingpin Michel's Delhi links and his properties worth crores in Delhi allegedly bought through benami transactions. ED has decided to attach the kingpin's benami properties. As per ED officials Delhi-based travel agent RK Nanda owns Michel's benami properties.
The 51-year-old middleman is alleged to have been paid 26 million pounds by state-controlled Italian aerospace, FINMECCANICA, executives to help secure the Rs 3600 crore contract from the Indian government for helicopters. Michel reportedly has family links at the heart of British high society and business links in India dating back to the late-1980s.
As per reports of investigating agencies, the head of a state-controlled Italian aerospace company had paid bribes of about Rs 362 crore in India to get orders for helicopters to ferry Indian VVIPs. The Ministry of Defence had put an hold the receipt of the remaining nine of the 12 helicopters for which the Rs 3600 crore deal was struck in 2010.
