VVIP copter probe: Enforcement Directorate tracks cash

New Delhi: Widening its probe in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal, the ED has begun a trail of “cash” which is suspected to have been paid as alleged kickbacks for the purchase of 12 helicopters from UK-based Agusta-Westland.

The financial probe agency has set the ball rolling with the second round of questioning of witnesses and accused in connection with the scam and is likely to quiz former IAF Chief S.P. Tyagi on Thursday, provided his recording of statement with the CBI ends on Wednesday.

The Enforcement Direct-orate (ED), which has been probing the money laundering angle in the case, has summoned cousins of Tyagi after his round of questioning is over besides realty firm Emaar MGF’s boss Shravan Gupta.

Gupta’s name cropped up after it was found that the alleged middleman Guido Haschke was an independent director of the firm between September to December 2009. Company officials said Gupta will cooperate with investigative agencies.

The ED, in its charge sheet filed last year in a court, had claimed to have detected flow of alleged kickbacks sent from abroad to companies of the accused Gautam Khaitan and cousin brothers of the former IAF chief.

Officials said the flow of funds is being probed as it is alleged that it was quid pro quo to make AgustaWestland eligible to get selected for the final delivery of the 12 AW-101 helicopters to India for VVIP flying duties.

The ED, as per the charge sheet, had traced two payments of Euro 1,26,000 and another two lakh Euros from a company based in Tunisia and others made to Tyagi brothers “camouflaged” in the form of consultancy fee and its probe had found that the said “remittances correspond with the developments taking place in alteration/reduction of mandatory servicing ceiling of the helicopters.”

The ED claimed that “besides these two remittances, the Tyagi brothers including the then IAF chief Tyagi, also received some amount of cash from Haschke and Gerosa.”

The ED probe found that the alleged middlemen Haschke and Carlo Gerosa, in collusion with the Tyagi brothers Sanjeev, Rajeev and Sandeep “managed to make inroads in IAF through Air Chief Marshal Tyagi and thereby could influence and subvert the consistent stand of IAF regarding mandatory service ceiling of the helicopters.” 

Tyagi questioned for third day
The CBI on Wednesday questioned former IAF Chief S.P. Tyagi for the third consecutive day in connection with the controversial Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland chopper deal. The agency has called the then Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Plans) N.V. Tyagi to be examined in connection with the alleged irregularities in the deal.

N.V. Tyagi was part of a team of senior officials who were involved in the deliberations to reduce the specifications of the helicopters for the VVIPs. Sources said S.P. Tyagi has not been called on Thursday for questioning.

The CBI had registered a case against Tyagi along with 13 others including his cousins and European middlemen. The allegation against the former Air Chief was that he reduced flying ceiling of the helicopter from 6,000m to 4,500m (15,000ft) which put AgustaWestland helicopters in the race for the deal without which its choppers were not even qualified for submission of bids.

Tyagi has denied allegations against him and said the change of specifications, which brought AgustaWestland into contention, was a collective decision in which senior officers of Indian Air Force, SPG and other departments were involved.