In an attempt to crack the suspect name codes and the alleged kickbacks paid in the VVIP chopper deal, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sought information from the Defence Ministry, Income Tax department and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) regarding the details about officials and other individuals figuring in the case.
Officials said the agency has sought property details of ten serving and retired officials of the MoD and the Indian Air Force (IAF) who had handled the procurement process of the AgustaWestland choppers at some point of their service.
It has also sought details from the IT department and the FIU to provide details of personal finances, transactions and investments made by some people suspected to have some connection to the case.
Sources indicate that the ED investigators have made some “analysis” of the probable identity of the code names referred to in a letter by the alleged middleman in the chopper deal, Christian Michel.
They want to investigate the flow of funds and the “proceeds of crime” and possible kickbacks made in the procurement of these choppers, the sources said. With the help of data from the tax department and FIU, some evidence can be established, they added.
To the Defence Ministry, the ED has specified names of the officials about whom they need the details of assets possessed.
Widening its probe in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal, the ED has also begun a trail of “cash” which is suspected to have been paid as alleged kickbacks for the purchase of these helicopters from UK-based AgustaWestland.
The ED has set the ball rolling with the second round of questioning of witnesses and accused in connection with the scam.
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 the Tyagi brothers “camouflaged” in the form of consultancy fee. 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 alleged 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.”
(With inputs from PTI.)
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