VVIP chopper scam: 'Middleman' Christian Michel sent to five-day CBI custody by Delhi court

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Wednesday sent Christian Michel , the alleged British middleman in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam case, to five-day CBI custody.
Michel's advocate asked the court to send him to judicial custody, but the CBI sought his custodial interrogation.
CBI told the court it wants to confront Michel with evidence and also unearth the money trail in the scam.

Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar allowed Michel's advocate to meet for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening while in custody. The advocate also moved a bail plea on behalf of Michel. However, the court kept the plea pending till the next hearing.
Michel, a citizen of United Kingdom, was brought to India late on Tuesday night following his extradition by the UAE in connection with the case. He landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on a Gulfstream jet at 10.35 pm on Tuesday night after which he was arrested by the CBI in connection with the case.
Michel is one of the three middlemen being probed by the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI, besides Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. Both agencies have notified an Interpol red corner notice (RCN) against him after the court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.
Michel has denied all the charges.
The CBI has alleged there was an estimated loss of approximately Rs 2,666 crore to the exchequer in the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010 for the supply of VVIP choppers worth 556.262 million euro.
The agency had on September 1, 2017 filed a chargesheet and named retired Air Marshal J S Gujral along with eight others, including five foreign nationals, in the case.
Former IAF chief SP Tyagi was also charged by the CBI in a Delhi court along with nine others in connection with a bribery case in the VVIP chopper deal. Company AgustaWestland is also one of the accused in the case.
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