Brit charged with bribery over Indian helicopter deal
A BRitisH businessman at the centre of india’s £525m ‘Choppergate’ corruption scandal has been extradited to the country.
Christian James Michel yesterday appeared in a new Delhi court charged with bribery, after being flown in from Dubai.
the 57-year-old is accused of paying kickbacks to indian officials to secure a deal between the government and uK-based Agusta Westland, now known as Leonardo Helicopters.
under the 2010 agreement, india ordered 12 luxurious AW101s, or ‘VViP’ helicopters – for ‘very, very important people’ – from Agusta.
only three were delivered before indian officials cancelled the deal amid corruption claims – and investigators have named Michel as a key middleman.
Michel frequently jetted into india and had an extensive network of contacts in the indian Air Force and Ministry of Defence, the Central Bureau of investigation said.
it believes he could reveal indian politicians who were involved in the scandal. With elections in india just months away, the probe has also become politically charged.
the Agusta deal was struck when the indian national Congress party held power, and prime minister narendra Modi’s party has used it as a stick to beat his opponents with. Referring to Michel at a political rally, Modi told supporters: ‘Who knows what secrets will tumble out once he starts talking?’
Another 11 people have also been charged. Michel is understood to deny the charges against him. His lawyer was allowed to briefly meet him yesterday but was unable to secure his release on bail.
indian investigators said that he would be confronted with documents recovered in raids by authorities in switzerland.
According to them, Michel was hired by top executives at Leonardo, the italian parent of Agusta, to help secure the contract in 2006. He made 300 trips to india between 1997 and 2013.
nearly £38m was set aside via uKregistered companies for him to use in bribes, it is claimed. in the years running up to the announcement of the deal, Michel is said to have bribed a string of air force officials, bureaucrats and politicians.
the £525m deal was announced in 2010 and was hailed as a breakthrough for British business in india’s lucrative programme to beef up its military. However three years later, as former uK prime minister David Cameron arrived in india for a state visit, it had become a source of embarrassment.
investigators claimed Michel had escaped from india and had been ‘deliberately evading’ them ever since. they secured his arrest in the united Arab emirates in February 2017. He was extradited on tuesday.
Michel, who has two homes in London, and his lawyers could not be reached for comment last night.
Yesterday, the uK Foreign office said it was urgently seeking information about his circumstances.