Ex-IAF chief in ED chargesheet

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a supplementary charge sheet in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper bribery scam against former Air Force Chief S.P. Tyagi, his two cousins, lawyer Gautam Khaitan, two Italian middlemen and Finmeccanica.

The charge sheet will be taken up for consideration on July 20.

The charge sheet accuses them of money laundering of around 28 million Euro.

New Delhi, July 18: The Enforcement Directorate has filed a fresh 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.

The supplementary charge sheet 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.

The probe report also claimed 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 S P Tyagi, conspired with Gautam Khaitan of M/s OP Khaitan & Co, Auditors and Solicitors based at New Delhi,” the charge sheet said.

Special judge Arvind Kumar put up the charge sheet, filed through special public prosecutor N K Matta under sections 3 and 4 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, for consideration and further action on July 20.

The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that money was laundered through multiple foreign companies which were used as fronts to park alleged kickbacks.

The agency said that it may file more supplementary charge sheets in the matter.