NEW DELHI, Feb 16:
India’s efforts to access information on the helicopter scam received a setback today with an Italian court rejecting a request for documents related to the deal even as CBI and Defence Ministry teams prepared to travel to Rome to gather evidence.
AgustaWestland, which has been issued a show cause notice by the Defence Ministry for cancellation of the Rs 3,600 crore deal, today promised to address all the points raised by the Indian Government.
Meanwhile, Guissepe Orsi, CEO of Finmeccanica, the holding company of AgustaWestland, has denied knowing the family of former IAF chief Shashi Tyagi, who has been accused of taking bribes.
Orsi’s lawyer Ennio Amodio went a step further telling Indian TV channels that “there was nothing substantiated regarding the actual conduct of Mr Shashi Tyagi.”
There was bad news for the Government as the court in Milan hearing the case refused to share any details saying it was “not possible to give a positive reply” to the Indian request.
The Indian embassy in Rome had made the request for details and documents of the probe on February 13 after the arrest of Orsi in connection with allegations that kickbacks to the tune of Rs 360 crore were paid in the Rs 3,600 crore deal, sources said here today.
The communication was received by the Indian embassy in Rome from the Judge of Preliminary Investigations of the Tribunal Busto Arsizio Luca Labianca.
Meanwhile, the Italian court Tribunale de Busto Arsizio will begin the hearing of the helicopter scam on Monday in which Orsi and AgustaWestland CEO Spagnolini have been arrested.
Both were arrested in the early part of the week by the Italian police in connection with the Rs 362-crore kickbacks scam for supplying 12 AW-101 choppers to India.
The company has already supplied three choppers to India which are based at the Hindan air base near here. The Defence Ministry has put on hold the delivery of the remaining nine choppers expected to have been delivered by the middle of next years.
It has also stopped further payments to AgustaWestland for the remaining nine helicopters. The Defence Ministry has said that even at this stage, India can get back its money with interest. (PTI)
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