AgustaWestland offshoot: CBI closes case against former Brigadier citing no 'proof of scam'

CBI filed a closure report at a special court in Delhi in connection with a seven-year-old FIR lodged against a former brigadier in an offshoot case of the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, citing lack of evidence.

“CBI has always been professional in its approach as far as investigations are concerned and does not charge sheet anyone without any evidence,” CBI sources said confirming the closure.

The case, an offshoot of the main Augusta case, was registered in 2014 after the CBI received a new tranche of documents from Italy, where a note mentioned that Brig V S Saini had allegedly asked for 5 million Euros to help Augusta.

Saini was charged with fudging the flight trial records of reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters that the government wanted to procure.

Besides Saini, the FIR also mentioned unidentified officers of the Army, Defence Ministry and a private company.

The case was registered under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, including abuse of official position, under the Indian Penal Code, including forgery. It was alleged in the FIR that Brig Saini was part of the team carrying out trials of competing helicopters in the Light Utility Helicopter category.

In 2012 the alleged chopper scam came to the fore when it was found that several politicians and bureaucrats allegedly accepted bribes to swing the deal pertaining to a February 2010 contract signed by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to purchase 12 AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters at Rs 3,600 crore.

These helicopters were supposed to be used for ferrying the President of India, the Prime Minister, and other such very, very important people.

The scam was exposed in Italy first, when in February 2013, the CEO of AgustaWestland, Bruno Spagnolini, was arrested by Italian authorities on charges that his company bribed middlemen to secure the deal with the Indian Air Force (IAF).  The deal was cancelled in 2014 by the Congress-led UPA government.

CBI filed a closure report at a special court in Delhi in connection with a seven-year-old FIR lodged against a former brigadier in an offshoot case of the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, citing lack of evidence. “CBI has always been professional in its approach as far as investigations are concerned and does not charge sheet anyone without any evidence,” CBI sources said confirming the closure. The case, an offshoot of the main Augusta case, was registered in 2014 after the CBI received a new tranche of documents from Italy, where a note mentioned that Brig V S Saini had allegedly asked for 5 million Euros to help Augusta. Saini was charged with fudging the flight trial records of reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters that the government wanted to procure. Besides Saini, the FIR also mentioned unidentified officers of the Army, Defence Ministry and a private company. The case was registered under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, including abuse of official position, under the Indian Penal Code, including forgery. It was alleged in the FIR that Brig Saini was part of the team carrying out trials of competing helicopters in the Light Utility Helicopter category. In 2012 the alleged chopper scam came to the fore when it was found that several politicians and bureaucrats allegedly accepted bribes to swing the deal pertaining to a February 2010 contract signed by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to purchase 12 AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters at Rs 3,600 crore. These helicopters were supposed to be used for ferrying the President of India, the Prime Minister, and other such very, very important people. The scam was exposed in Italy first, when in February 2013, the CEO of AgustaWestland, Bruno Spagnolini, was arrested by Italian authorities on charges that his company bribed middlemen to secure the deal with the Indian Air Force (IAF).  The deal was cancelled in 2014 by the Congress-led UPA government.