Former air chief SP Tyagi arrested in chopper scam

THE AGUSTAWESTLAND CASE

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday arrested former Indian Air Force chief SPTyagi, hiscousinSanjeev alias Julie, and lawyer Gautam Khaitan for allegedly receiving and facilitating bribes in a

3,727-crore deal aimed at buying AgustaWestland choppers for ferrying government dignitaries.

This is the first time a retired service chief has been arrested in India’s military history.

Sourcessaidallthreewerecalled forquestioningonFriday,andlater arrestedafterthey“refusedtocooperate” with investigators. They will be produced before a court on Saturday, and the CBI is expected to seek their remand for custodial interrogation.

The arrests came nearly In 2010, UPA govt signs a Rs3,727-crore contract with UK-based AgustaWestland to buy 12 AW101 choppers for IAF

three years after India scrapped the contract for 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers following allegations of corruption.

Six companies — Italy based Finmeccanica, its UK-based subsidiary AgustaWestland, Mohalibased IDS Infotech, Chandigarhbased Aeromatrix, IDS Tunisia

and IDS Mauritius — also figured in the report. Investigations gathered pace after an Italian court of appeals pointed fingers at 71-yearold Tyagi in April 2016, observing that there were “unmistakable indications of corruption” by an Indian officer.