TIA NEWS /
The CBI interrogated former Indian Air Force chief S P Tyagi in the Agusta Westland issue for the third consecutive day today. CBI also examined lawyer Gautam Khaitan for the first time after an Italian court held that bribes were paid to clinch the Rs 3600 crore VVIP Helicopter deal.
The allegation against the former Air Chief was that he reduced flying ceiling of the helicopter from 6,000 m to 4,500 m (15,000 ft) which put AgustaWestland helicopters in the race for the deal without which its choppers were not even qualified for submission of bids.
CBI sources said Gautam Khaitan admitted to setting up shell company IDS Tunisia. IDS Tunisia is subsidary of IDS Tunisia and money was coming from Augusta Westland to IDS Tunsia.CBI is tracking fund flow.
Gautam Khaitan will be called again on Thursday.
CBI has requested MEA to fast track letter of rogatory, from 8 countries. Govt has got complete reply has come from Italy, part response from British Virgin Island, Tunisia and UK and no response from Switzerland, Singapore , Mauritius and UAE.
Khaitan who is an advocate and a former Board member of company Aeromatrix which was allegedly used to route bribe amount is named in the CBI’s FIR as one of the accused.
His name finds mention in panama papers. Gautam khaitan was also on board of director of Emmar MGF, a company which had alleged links with Rahul Gandhi’s aide Kanishka Singh.
Earlier on Wednesday, BJP MP Kirit Somaiya raised the Emaar MGF issue in Lok Sabha and demanded that Rahul Gandhi should come clean on the issue.
He has alleged that agustawestland middleman Guido Hashke was apponted Director of realty company Emaar MGF and had been involved in both the chopper as well as Commonwealth Games scams.
Meanwhile, dismissing BJP’s allegation regarding any involvement in the AgustaWestland chopper deal, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said he had purchased shops from a mall in the Capital owned by MGF which was mentioned in his affidavit.
He also said that he will reply to all the allegations in the Parliament.
CBI had registered a case against Tyagi along with 13 others including his cousins and European middlemen.