A major furore has been raised in the Parliament over the alleged involvement of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the court proceedings of the AgustaWestland chopper scam. Also entangled in the mess is the former IAF chief SP Tyagi with the CBI probing into bribery charges. Sources said Tyagi visited Florence, Milan and Venice after retirement. Soon to be put under radar are Tyagis' cousins Sanjeev, Rajeev, and Sandeep, along with Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan, who is said to have played a vital role in moving the bribe money.
Tyagi was examined till late at the CBI headquarters in the Capital, and will have to sit through the gruelling investigation again. A CBI official said, “The examination is with regard to bribery allegations in the case in light of recent developments in Italy, especially the court judgement there.” The Milan Court of Appeals, revealed details in its recent orders of how alleged bribes were paid by helicopter-maker AgustaWestland, to Indian officials through middlemen. Tyagi's name has been mentioned on more than one occasion in the court order. “We have now learned that Tyagi visited Italy after he retired. We are finding out the purpose and details of his visit. He retired in 2007, and in 2008 or 2009 he visited Florence, Milan and Venice. We are also checking details of his bank accounts and other assets.”
The scam relates to a contract signed in February 2010, by the Congress-led UPA government with UK-based AgustaWestland, to purchase 12 AW101 helicopters for the Indian Air Force for a sum of £360 million. While the choppers were supposed to be put to use for the President, the Prime Minister and other VVIP's of India. In 2013, the Italian police arrested Agusta's CEO Bruna Spagnolini and Guiseppe Orsi, chairman of the company's parent Finmeccanica, on charges of paying bribes to win the VVIP chopper deal with the Indian Air Force. The charges affected the deal as the UPA government put in on hold and then Defence Minister AK Antony ordered a CBI probe into the matter. The deal was cancelled in 2014 on grounds of integrity, and most of the money paid for the deal is said to have been recovered.
The Italian Court of Appeals released a 225-page judgement citing several conversations that took place between all the people involved. The conversations have mentions of “Mrs Gandhi” (Sonia) being the “driving force behind the VIP” and she and her “closest advisers” being “the aim of the British high commissioner”. Sonia countered the allegations saying the party has “nothing to hide” and that she is “not afraid”. She said, “We have nothing to hide. Let them take my name, I am not afraid. This government has been in power for two years now, why didn't they complete the inquiry?”
