Today, On 18th February, The Supreme Court granted bail to Christian Michel James, an alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland case. The case involves a suspected scam linked to the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters. Michel was accused of facilitating deals between officials and the chopper manufacturer. His bail marks a significant development in the long-running investigation.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court granted bail to Christian Michel James, an alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland case, who has been in custody for six years. The case, involving a purported Rs.3,600 crore scam, is under investigation by the CBI.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta noted that James had been in custody while the investigation continued.
They stated that he would be released on bail, contingent upon conditions set by the trial court.
The alleged scam pertains to the acquisition of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland, a company specializing in chopper design and manufacturing. James, a British citizen, challenged a Delhi High Court ruling from September 25, 2024, that denied him bail. He was extradited from Dubai in December 2018 and subsequently arrested.
On December 6, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to the CBI, directing it to submit its response within four weeks. The controversy centers around the acquisition of 12 VVIP helicopters from the helicopter design and manufacturing firm AgustaWestland.
James has appealed to the Supreme Court to contest the Delhi High Court’s bail rejection order issued on September 25. A British national, he was extradited from Dubai in December 2018 and subsequently arrested. The High Court had turned down his bail plea, noting that there had been no significant changes in circumstances since his previous applications were denied.
James is one of three alleged middlemen under investigation, alongside Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.
The CBI’s chargesheet claims that the deal, signed on February 8, 2010, resulted in an estimated loss of 398.21 million euros (approximately Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer, for a contract valued at 556.262 million euros.
In a related money laundering case, the Enforcement Directorate’s chargesheet against James, filed in June 2016, alleged that he received 30 million euros (around Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland. On February 7, 2023, the Supreme Court denied James bail, rejecting his argument that he had served half of the maximum sentence for the charges against him.
The High Court earlier had also dismissed his bail applications in both the CBI and ED cases in March 2022.
Case Title: Christian James Michel vs Central Bureau of Investigation