AgustaWestland case: Christian Michel applies for bail; Delhi court lists matter for 12 Feb, seeks responses from CBI, ED

Christian Michel, accused of being a middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, on Friday approached Delhi’s Patiala House Court for bail in the cases filed by the CBI and ED. The court has sought a response from both the investigative agencies on Michel’s bail plea and listed the matter for hearing on 12 February. [caption id=“attachment_5683081” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of Christian Michel. PTI[/caption] According to reports, Michel said the chargesheet against him was not filed within the stipulated time frame of 60 days. The matter was heard by Special Judge Arvind Kumar. “Since, the chargesheet was not filed against him within the stipulated 60-day period under section 167(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Probe is complete. I’m in custody since 22 December, 2018,” Michel said in the petition. Michel is one of the three alleged middlemen in the AgustaWestland case and has denied all charges against him. The CBI has alleged there was an estimated loss of €398.21 million (approximately Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer in the deal for the supply of VVIP choppers. The ED has charged Michel of having received around Rs 225 crore in the deal, reports said. On 30 January, Rajiv Saxena, a co-accused in the case was extradited to India by the UAE government. The ED, in a reply to Dubai-based businessman Saxena’s bail plea, had requested for his extradition from Dubai as he had failed to join the investigation even after repeated reminders. Earlier in January, the ED had claimed that Michel had also received money from other defence deals which were to be probed. The investigative agency’s statement came after a Delhi court sent Michel to judicial custody till 26 February. With inputs from agencies