COURT GIVES CBI MICHEL’S CUSTODY FOR 5 MORE DAYS

NEWDELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday expressed willingness to allow consular access to British businessman Christian James Michel, 57, six days after he was extradited from Dubai.

Michel is accused of bribing officials to secure a chopper deal for Anglo-italian firm Agustawestland in 2010. The deal was cancelled three years later.

“The CBI’S Interpol division informed the external affairs ministry that the agency is ready to grant consular access to the UK high commission officials to Michel,’’ said CBI spokesman Abhishek Dayal. “Now we await response from the high commission, which will be routed through the ministry of external affairs, following which mutually suitable time and date for consular access will be decided.”

The high commission had sought the access on Wednesday last. Separately, a special court extended Michel’s CBI custody by another five days after the agency’s said Michel was not cooperating with his interrogators. The CBI told special judge Arvind Kumar that Michel was “evasive” and that they want more time to confront him over the evidences received from five countries.

The CBI had sought a nine-day custody when he was produced before the court at the end of his five-day remand.

The CBI’S special public prosecutor D P Singh informed the court that the evidences comprised thousands of documents. “We have shown him some correspondence… But we still require his custody to confront him with documents,” he said.