Harsha Kakar
A Dubai Court has ordered the extradition of British national and AgustaWestland middleman Christian Michel to India for the 3600 crore, chopper deal case. On 01 Jan 2014, India scrapped the contract with Finmeccanica’s British subsidiary AgustaWestland for the supply of 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters to the Indian air force. The reason for cancellation was breach of contractual obligations and claims of kickbacks to the tune of Rs 423 Crore to secure the deal. Christian Michel was arrested in Jan 2017 in Dubai.Indian investigative agencies had for a long time been on the hunt for Michel, who may possibly soon be on his way to India.
Post coming to power in 2014, prior to every state election, the BJP ensured that the AgustaWestland scam emerged from the cupboard, Air Chief Marshall Tyagi, the then Chief of Air Staff, summoned and even arrested, only for the investigation to vanish back after results were announced, to re-emerge before the next. This alongside the Bofors has been the main guns which the BJP has employed to target the Congress on corruption cases. Tyagi is presently on bail.
Tyagi has been accused of lowering the altitude requirements for the helicopter which enabled AgustaWestland to enter the fray. One individual alone cannot take decisions, since the deal was for VVIP helicopters and had spanned a prolonged period.There would have been the involvement of multiple ministries and PMO in finalizing the deal while others would have been involved in the negotiations. None has been summoned till date. The air force initially put forth its requirement for replacement of the existing MI 8 VIP helicopters in 1999. The deal was inked in 2010 and the scam came to light in 2013. It took eleven years from the initial proposal to finalizing the deal, clearly indicating involvement of individuals beyond Tyagi.
Though the repatriation of Michel is still some time away, there are already alarm bells ringing in India. Presently, Michel has the power to appeal against the court decision, however it is unlikely that he would be granted any reprieve. The only spoke in the case is that Michel is a UK citizen, but presently a resident of Dubai, which would require the Dubai Government to take the final call. Reports indicate that the British Government is also in touch with the Dubai authorities.
His repatriation, likely before the elections, would reopen the AgustaWestland case and bring forth bureaucrats of the UPA regime into the limelight. No politician has ever been questioned on defence procurements till date. It is quite likely that there would be regular deliberate leaks of his interrogation to embarrass the Congress prior to the elections. Thus, the Congress would need to have their own ammunition ready to counter the BJP thrusts. The only ammunition available with it so far is the Rafale.
AgustaWestland would also be used to showcasethe BJP’s determination to bring those involved in corruption cases back into the country, adding to the clean image of the party. For the Congress, maintaining the tempo of the Rafale till mid next year may be difficult, thus it would need to seek an alternative procurement scam to counter the BJP, something it would be desperately seeking. Defence procurements, being at high costs are always targets of scams. The Congress is already claiming that Michel during his questioning in Dubai is being forced to name members of their party.
While political parties continue blaming one another for the multiple scams which have occurred in defence procurement, the impact is felt by the common Indian and the armed forces. The message being sent across the nation is that every defence deal is tainted and the equipment that the armed forces get are not of the quality they deserve and that armed forces personnel involved in the trial process are equally corrupt.
The most serious fallout of the political battle for votes and honesty is its impact on futuristic defence procurements. It is an established fact that defence procurement is a long and tedious process. Most weapons take years before the deals are signed and even longer before they are inducted. The process for the purchase of new aircraft began with the issue of tenders in 2007. Five years later, in 2012 the Rafale was selected.
The final order was placed in 2016 and the first aircraft would enter the country next year. Thus, it has taken 12 years from the start to the first aircraft entering service. By increasing the political slugfest, seeking to gain a few votes, political parties only add further delays and caution in defence procurement.
The bureaucrats in the MoD are aware that every investigative agency in the country seeks to monitor defence procurement, especially if there is a change in Government. Every new Government places procurement files of their predecessor under investigation. Existing rules also state that procurement above 75 Crores would be examined by multiple agencies. Information flowing indicates that the impact is clearly visible.
Early tendering for 110 fighters is now on hold, so also is the procurement of 57 fighters for the navy, the S-400 missile deal as also six submarines for the navy. The MoD has begun going slowand delaying procurement rather than later being hauled over coals by investigative agencies, especially once the Government changes. Personal interest of the bureaucrats would override national interest.
This has been the mantra over the years. It is a repeat of the 10 years of UPA rule, when Anthony fearing his clean image being tainted, refused to ink any deal, irrespective of deficiencies within the armed forces. The return of Michel and the row over the Rafale would only impact military capabilities.
It is also an unquestioned fact that rarely have politicians been questioned and punished for corruption in defence deals. The fall guys are bureaucrats and uniformed personnel. While politicians would raise the stakes seeking to grab power, the true impact would be on those processing procurement cases. They would only slow down processes impacting defence preparedness and enhance gaps in national security. Hence, those exploiting defence deals for votes need to consider the larger impact on national security on their actions.
(The author is former Major General in Indian Amry)
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