AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case: Christian Michel sent to 10-day judicial custody; Delhi court reserves order on bail plea for 22 Dec

Christian Michel, the alleged midlleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, was sent to 10-day judicial custody by a Delhi court on Wednesday, CNN-News18 reported. The 57-year-old British national will be produced before the court on 28 December.

#NewsAlert -- AgustaWestland middleman Christian Michel sent to judicial custody till December 28 by Delhi Court | @mitrasouvik123 with more details pic.twitter.com/pw3ud4aCjX

— News18 (@CNNnews18) December 19, 2018

Earlier on Wednesday, the court reserved its order on the bail plea of Christian Michel for 22 December. The Enforcement Directorate had sought Michel's custody on Wednesday.

File image of Christian Michel. PTI

Michel told Special Judge Arvind Kumar that he was not required for custodial interrogation and no purpose will be served by keeping him in further custody. "My handwriting has already been taken. There were no original documents with the CBI to match it with. I have volunteered to provide all the documents," he said.

He was in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody for 15 days.

Michel was arrested in the UAE and extradited to India on 4 December. The next day, he was produced in the court, which allowed his five-day custodial interrogation by the CBI which was later extended by five more days.

Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.

Both the agencies notified an Interpol red corner notice (RCN) against him after the court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.