Delhi court sends Christian Michel to five-day CBI custody; agency claims he is not co-operating in AgustaWestland probe

A Delhi court on Monday sent Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal scam, to five-day custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He was produced before special CBI judge Arvind Kumar after the expiry of his five-day CBI remand.

The probe agency sought a further remand of nine days for Michel’s custodial interrogation saying he was not cooperating in the investigation of the case. At the outset, he withdrew his earlier bail plea and filed a fresh detailed bail application.

However, CBI asked the court to extend Michel’s custody, saying that it needed to confront him with evidence as he is not cooperating with the investigation. Even though the CBI has received letters rogatory from at least five countries, he has claimed innocence so far and has been evasive with his answers. CBI also refuted Michel’s counsel’s allegations that he was being tortured in custody saying that he was being treated with utmost respect just like any other accused.

CBI also moved an appeal in the court to get a sample of Michel’s handwriting to further corroborate his involvement in the case. Meanwhile, Michel has sought an Italian lawyer for himself.

With inputs from PTI