Ankit Kumar | Edited by Ganesh Kumar Radha Udayakumar
New Delhi, January 8, 2018 | UPDATED 19:53 IST
Both men had earlier been given prison terms for international corruption and fake invoicing. They were named in an chargesheet filed by the CBI last year.
An AgustaWestland helicopter (Chopper on left | Photo for representation: Reuters)An Italian court acquitted former AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini and former Finmeccanica (now Leornado) president Giuseppe Orsi, of charges related to alleged bribes paid in exchange for a 556-million-euro contract to sell 12 helicopters to the Indian government. The Court of Appeal of Milan also rejected India's claim to damages.
In December 2016, Italy's Supreme Court had ordered a repeat of the appeals trial. Both Bruno Spagnolini and Giuseppe Orsi had been given prison terms of four years and four years and six months, respectively, for international corruption and fake invoicing.
Both men had been named in a chargesheet filed by the CBI last year. Former Indian Air Force Chief S P Tyagi was one of the nine people named in the document.
The CBI booked all the accused under Indian Penal Code provisions relating to cheating and criminal conspiracy, and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
On September 1 last year, the CBI filed a chargesheet against Tyagi, Sanjeev, Gujral, Khaitan, Italian defence and aerospace major Finmeccanica's former chief Giuseppe Orsi, former AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini and three European alleged middlemen Christian Michel, Guido Haschke and Gerosa, Finmeccanica's subsidiary AgustaWestland and IDS Infotech.
Apart from Tyagi, the former chief's cousin Sanjeev alias Julie, former Air Marshal J.S. Gujral and advocate Gautam Khaitan were also booked.
Tyagi, who was the IAF chief from 2004 to 2007, his brother Sanjeev and Khaitan were allegedly involved in irregularities in the procurement of 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters from the UK-based AgustaWestland. They were arrested in December 2016. Currently, they are out on bail.
The CBI, which registered an FIR in the case on March 12, 2013, has alleged that Tyagi and the other accused received kickbacks from AgustaWestland to help the manufacturer win the contract.
WATCH | Full interview of AgustaWestland middleman Christian Michel with India Today