Head of Italian firm held on charges of bribes in India

Feb 12, 2013 |

New Delhi

In a significant development, the head of Italian company Finmeccanica has been arrested in Milan in connection with charges that bribes were paid to secure an Indian defence helicopter deal worth Rs 3600 crore.

“Giuseppe Orsi, the head of Italian defence and aerospace giant Finmeccanica, was arrested on Monday in relation to a probe into international corruption. He is suspected of involvement in the payment of bribes regarding the sale to the Indian government of 12 helicopters produced by Finmeccanica’s subsidiary AgustaWestland,” Italian news agency Ansa said.

The 2010 deal has been under the scanner for more than a year now after Italian media reports suggested the arrest of two alleged middlemen in Europe for paying bribes to secure the deal.

The first three of the 12 AgustaWestland VVIP choppers have already arrived in India and the rest are expected to be supplied to the IAF by the middle of next year.

The defence ministry here is awaiting details from Rome after which it will act accordingly, sources said. After the arrest, the Italian firm said in a statement that “Finmeccanica expresses support for its chairman and CEO, with the hope that clarity is established quickly, whilst reaffirming its confidence in the Judges.”

It added, “With reference to the precautionary measures issued today towards the chairman and CEO of Finmeccanica and the CEO of the controlled Company AgustaWestland, Finmeccanica confirms that operating activities and ongoing projects of the Company will continue as usual.”

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