London: Allegations that Christian Michel, an accused in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, was extradited from Dubai in return for India sending back Dubai’s Princess Latifa have led Michel’s family’s lawyer in London to declare he is sending Michel’s case to the United Nations. Toby Cadman, an international human rights lawyer from London, is the lawyer who took the Latifa case to the UN. He is now advising the Michel family. He said that the idea Michel’s extradition had been a swap has “been alleged on more than one occasion.”
“It is a matter that will need to be properly investigated and this is a matter which will be taken to the UN,” he said. “I cannot divulge the nature of the evidence... I can confirm there are serious concerns as to the nature and procedure concerning the extradition... It is anticipated that the Indian judicial authorities will recognise that there is no proper legal basis to hold Michel and he should be discharged immediately,” Cadman said.
Michel, 57, a British arms dealer, was extradited to Delhi from Dubai, where he runs a business, last month and is being interrogated by the CBI and the ED. The decision to extradite him came just eight months after India sent back Princess Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum, the 33-year-old daughter of Dubai’s billionaire ruler. Her yacht was intercepted by the Indian Coast Guard off the coast of Goa when she was attempting to flee her imprisonment in UAE to travel to the US in March 2018 and she was sent back to Dubai in a joint India-Emirati operation, despite her demanding asylum.
Radha Stirling of Detained in Dubai, a criminal justice NGO in the UAE, said: “This joint operation was approved by Prime Minister Modi after a personal telephone call from Sheikh Mohammed. Because of India’s participation in this illegal action, they have faced considerable international criticism, including an official inquiry by the UN. In short, the UAE owes India a favour; it appears that expedited extradition may well be a gesture of reciprocal appreciation by the UAE for India’s role in the abduction and return of Princess Latifa back to the Emirates.”
A member of Michel’s legal team said: “That there was a swap deal is my understanding too.” India and the UAE have an extradition treaty dating back to 2011 that covers citizens of the two countries, but the extradition of a third party national is unusual. “It enters a murky part of international law,” said one diplomat. The CBI has filed a chargesheet accusing Michel of criminally conspiring with Indian officials to ensure Britain’s only helicopter manufacturer - AgustaWestland (now called Leonardo Helicopters) - wins the 12 VVIP helicopter deal from the Indian government.
