The CBI may send a source query to the United States to get some details about the VVIP helicopter deal from C. Edmonds Allen, a former business partner of alleged arms dealer Abhishek Verma, as part of its probe into the `3,600-crore deal. Sources said the agency is examining documents sent by Mr Allen that suggested kickbacks were paid by AgustaWestland to the Enforcement Directorate over the deal which was finally signed in February 2010.
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Agusta deal in talks with British PM
Parul Chandra
New Delhi, Feb. 17
As British Prime Minister David Cameron arrives on a three-day visit to India on Monday, New Delhi is getting ready to flag two major issues with him — the scam-ridden AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal and the recent trilateral meeting he chaired at Chequers, his country home, where Presidents Hamid Karzai (of Afghanistan) and Asif Ali Zardari (of Pakistan) took part.
Mr Cameron’s three-day visit, his second as PM, will see him in Mumbai on Monday on the first leg.
The British Prime Minister, accompanied by a large business delegation, will interact with top industry leaders, before heading to New Delhi on Tuesday, where he will join delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Talks are already on with the UK Foreign Office over the deal, and Britain is keen to ensure it is not derailed as several hundred jobs in the UK are dependent on it.