The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is all set to register a separate case to probe alleged kickbacks into the `3,6000 crore AgustaWestland copter deal. The agency, sources said, is likely to register a case by the end of this month.
According to sources, the agency has almost completed scrutiny of the bank account details of all individuals (Indian) who have been named by the CBI in its FIR. The CBI on March 13 had booked former Air Force Chief S.P. Tyagi and 12 others under charges of bribery, cheating and corruption in the `3,600-crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal. The former Air Chief, his cousins Sanjeev alias Julie, Rajeev alias Docsa and Sandeep, European middlemen Carlo Gerosa, Christian Michel and Guido Haschke are among 13 individuals named in the FIR as accused. Besides, the CBI also booked brother of former Union minister Santosh Bagrodia, Satish Bagrodia and Pratap Aggarwal, chairman and managing director of IDS Infotech. Six companies, including Italy-based Finmeccanica, AgustaWestland, Mohali-based IDS Infotech, Chandigarh based Aeromatrix, IDS Tunisia and IDS Mauritius, had also been booked by the CBI in its FIR.
Sources said, “The ED is probing alleged transfer of huge sums of money from Tunisia and Mauritius to several Indians through informal channels in the VVIP copter deal.”