The CBI on Thursday claimed that former board member of Aeromatrix Gautam Khaitan has accepted taking payments from Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa, middlemen in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal. But Khaitan, the agency said, rejected allegations that it was part of any kickbacks.
“He has agreed taking payment from European middlemen Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. However, we do not agree with the purpose behind the payment which has been cited by him,” a CBI official said.
Sources said while Khaitan accepted money was received from Gerosa and Haschke he denied that it was part of kick backs to clinch the deal. The CBI continued Khaitan’s questioning for the second day on Thursday. The agency summoned former IAF chief SP Tyagi’s cousins — Sanjeev, Rajeev and Sandeep — to appear before it on Friday.
While the questioning of Khaitan continued for about 10 hours, former Air Vice Marshal NV Tyagi left within four hours of examination.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday also questioned former IAF chief SP Tyagi in connection with its money laundering case relating to the VVIP helicopter deal.
Though the ED has already filed a chargesheet in the case, this is the first time the agency has questioned Tyagi. The move comes after a Milan court order in which it was mentioned that bribes were paid to Indian babus, service personnel and politicians. Tyagi was earlier questioned by the CBI for three consecutive days.
Tyagi’s questioning was necessitated in the wake of a recent Milan court order which had sentenced Italian defence and aerospace major Finmeccanica’s former chief Giuseppe Orsi and the former CEO of the firm Bruno Spagnolini on corruption charges in the sale of a dozen AgustaWestland helicopters to India. Tyagi’s name cropped up at several points in the court order.