ED attaches assets of businessman in chopper deal case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable properties worth ₹16.57 crore belonging to businessman Shravan Gupta, who is an accused in the ₹3,700crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal bribery case.
The attached assets are in the form of land or farmhouse(s) located in a posh locality of Delhi.
On Monday, the Central agency alleged that Mr. Gupta, who is a former managing director of Emmar MGF, had received “proceeds of crime” in the companies named Natille Overseas Inc, Switzerland; Timekeeper Limited, British Virgin Islands (BVI); Hall Park Holdings Limited, U.K., and others.
“The proceeds of crime were received from a shell company based out of Mauritius, which had received the kickbacks in the defence deal from Agusta Spa, Italy. The ED had also filed a prosecution complaint dated February 10, 2022, against accused Mr. Gupta. Presently, extradition proceedings against Mr. Gupta are underway as he had fled the country in November 2019,” said the agency.
According to the ED, kickbacks amounting to €70 million were paid by AgustaWestland for influencing the deal for supply of 12 VVIP choppers in its favour and for subsequent payment of bribes to certain Air Force officials, bureaucrats, and politically influential persons in India, through a complex web of transactions.
The integrity pact in the tender documents for the procurement of the VVIP helicopters forbade engaging of any middlemen and paying of kickbacks in any form for a favourable decision.