Scam-tainted companies like Italian conglomerate Finmeccanica, which is embroiled in the VVIP helicopter scandal, will take part in Aero-India 2015, Secretary Defence Production G Mohan Kumar said here on Monday. He also said only blacklisted companies, which are barred from doing business with Indian Defence Ministry for ten years, are not taking part in the expo.
He also stated that India has not barred scam-tainted or blacklisted companies from taking part in the expo. This is a departure from the past when two blacklisted companies were not allowed to take part in a Defence expo two years back even after they had booked space. As regards Finmeccanica, one of its sub unit AgustaWestland allegedly paid bribe of more than Rs350 crore to bag the Rs3,500-crore contract for supplying 12 VVIP helicopters to India. The UPA Government cancelled the contract in January last year and the CBI is probing the case.