CBI team returns from Italy after investigation

THE CBI TEAM SPENT FOUR DAYS IN ITALY IN MID-JULY WHEN THEY HELD DISCUSSIONS WITH ITALIAN INVESTIGATORS

A two-member CBI team recently met Italian police and prosecution officials in Milan to gather key details to probe into the money-laundering aspect of the `3,727-crore VVIP AgustaWestland chopper scam.

The CBI team spent four days in Italy in mid-July when they held discussions with Italian investigators “on all aspects of the bribery scam”. “The details gathered in the chopper deal case from the Italian police officers and prosecutors will give an impetus to CBI’s probe,” said an official source.

The scam pertains to the alleged payment of around `360 crore by AgustaWestland Limited and Finmeccanica to Indian Army officials and politicians to secure contracts for supplying 12 VVIP choppers. The CBI registered a case in March 2013, while the Italian authorities conducted a parallel probe. The agency sent its investigators to Italy following the April 9 verdict of the Milan appeals’ court against Finmeccanica and AgustaWestland.

Keeping its probe centered on the money laundering aspect of the case, which allegedly involves transactions worth Euro 50 million (around `369 crore) across eight countries, the CBI sent Letters Rogatories (LR) to all eight.