HC seeks CBI, ED stand on bail pleas by Christian Michel in AgustaWestland cases

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has sought the stand of the CBI and ED on pleas by alleged middleman Christian Michel James seeking regular bail in the alleged Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland chopper scam cases relating to the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters.

Justice Jyoti Singh issued notices to the probe agencies on the bail applications by the British national, who was extradited from Dubai in December 2018 and was subsequently arrested for his role in the alleged scam.

The judge, in two separate orders passed on April 22, asked the counsel for the CBI and ED to file their status reports in three weeks and listed the matter for hearing on May 16.

On February 7 last year, the top court had denied bail to James, currently in judicial custody, while rejecting his submission that he be released on the grounds that he has completed half of the maximum sentence in the cases.

Before that, the high court had dismissed his bail applications in both CBI and ED cases in March 2022.

On March 18, the top court had refused to entertain plea of James seeking bail under Article 32 of the Constitution on the grounds that he cannot be charged under any other offences apart from those mentioned in the extradition decree and he be granted the benefit of the "doctrine of speciality".

The alleged scam relates to the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland.

The CBI, in its charge sheet, has alleged an estimated loss of 398.21 million euros (about Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer due to the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010, for the supply of VVIP choppers worth 556.262 million euros.

The ED, in its charge sheet filed against James in June 2016, had alleged that he had received 30 million euros (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland.

James is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the case and other two are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.