Supreme Court to Hear AgustaWestland Scam Accused’s Plea for Immediate Release

Christian Michel, the central figure in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking immediate release from jail, citing his right to life and freedom. Michel, a British citizen, has spent five years and three months in jail, while the maximum punishment for the charges against him is five years.

The petition highlights that the investigation is ongoing, and the trial has not yet commenced, making his continued judicial detention illegal. The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for the petition on Monday.

Michel, dubbed as the middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper scandal, was extradited from Dubai in 2017 after his arrest in the UAE. The case revolves around a 2007 contract signed by the Indian government to purchase 12 luxury helicopters for top leaders, including the President, Prime Minister, and former prime ministers.

In 2014, the contract was scrapped amid allegations of bribery involving the supplier, AgustaWestland, whose parent company was Finmeccanica. Former Air Chief SP Tyagi was arrested in 2016 over allegations of accepting bribes to tailor specifications at the behest of his relatives, becoming the first-ever military chief to face arrest, either former or current.

The Congress party has maintained that it cancelled the helicopter deal, blacklisted the company, and initiated a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) once reports of kickbacks surfaced in Italy. Additionally, the party asserts that it confiscated the company’s assets both in India and abroad in connection with the scandal.