Supreme Court grants bail to British national Christian Michel James in Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland chopper scam | Delhi News – The Times of India
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to alleged middleman Christian Michel James, who has been in custody for six years, in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland chopper scam investigated by the CBI.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta noted that James had spent six years in jail while the investigation was still ongoing.
The court ruled that he would be released on bail, subject to conditions set by the trial court.
The case pertains to the procurement of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland.
James, a British national, was extradited from Dubai in December 2018 and subsequently arrested.
He had moved the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi high court‘s September 25, 2024, order denying him bail.
‘Hired by AgustaWestland to influence’
James was allegedly hired by AgustaWestland to influence politicians, officials and journalists in India to secure the VVIP chopper deal.
He is one of three middlemen accused of bribing multiple individuals to finalise the contract.
Michel, who had been associated with AgustaWestland since the 1980s, followed in his father’s footsteps as a consultant for the company in India.
He was reportedly a frequent visitor to the country and operated as a middleman for defense procurements, maintaining an extensive network within the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Ministry of Defence, including both serving and retired officials.
According to the CBI, Michel gathered intelligence from the IAF and defense ministry and shared it with his associates, who then transmitted the information via fax to counterparts in Italy and Switzerland.
In July 2006, during a meeting in Cascina Costa, Italy, AgustaWestland’s commercial manager Renzo Lunardi proposed that Michel collaborate with fellow middlemen Ralph Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa to conduct “scouting and monitoring activities” for the helicopter acquisition.
The decision was based on Michel’s deep understanding of India’s military operations. During the meeting, they allegedly agreed on a commission of 7% of the total contract value to cover expenses and fees.
On January 1, 2014, India canceled the contract with AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters to the IAF over allegations of contractual violations and kickbacks amounting to Rs 423 crore.
In its June 2016 chargesheet, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged that Michel received approximately Rs 225 crore from AgustaWestland as part of the deal.
