Christian Michel

Spokespersons for the ruling BJP and the Congress traded allegations over the purported scam for which Michel is being probed.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said all three lawyers, including Youth Congress functionary Aljo K Joseph, who appeared for Michel in court on Wednesday, had links with the Congress.

“Isn’t this too much of a coincidence,” Patra asked on Thursday.

The Congress said the allegation was a case of the “pot calling the kettle black”. Spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said that if “the BJP can link his party to Michel on the basis of a lawyer,” the rul- ing party should answer for instances in which, he alleged, BJP functionaries and family members had acted on behalf of people accused of wrongdoing.

Michel is accused of being one of three middlemen who allegedly brokered bribes to help Italybased Finmeccanica (now Leonardo Group) win the contract for 12 helicopters primarily meant to transport VVIPS. Several parameters in the original tender were allegedly tweaked to swing the deal in favour of Finmeccanica, and several Indians, including former air force chief Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi, have been accused of being a part of the conspiracy.

All of the accused, including Michel and Tyagi, have denied the allegations.

The question of consular access also assumes significance since Michel and his lawyer have alleged that Indian officials wanted him to implicate UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. In an interview with NDTV on Wed– nesday, Michel’s Italy-based ad– vocate Rosemary Patrizi said she feared her client could be coerced into delivering a confession.

MICHEL’S ADVOCATE ROSEMARY PATRIZI SAID SHE FEARED HER CLIENT COULD BE COERCED TO DELIVER A CONFESSION