The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday got four-day remand of AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter scam accused Rajiv Saxena and seven-day remand of corporate lobbyist Deepak Talwar, both of whom were deported by the UAE on Wednesday night.
The ED sought eight days custody of Saxena, a Dubai-based businessman, before special judge Arvind Kumar, who allowed the agency to interrogate him for four days.
During the hearing, Saxena’s lawyer claimed that his client was suffering from cancer, a claim that was contested by ED before the court which said this has to be verified.
Saxena was picked up by Dubai authorities early on Wednesday in connection with the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP choppers money laundering case and deported to India.
Talwar was produced before special judge SS Mann and the ED sought 14 days custody of the corporate aviation lobbyist but the court allowed seven-day remand. Talwar is wanted by the ED and the CBI in a case of violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and misusing over Rs 90 crore of funds received by an NGO run by him.
Talwar is facing charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery and under various other sections of the FCRA for allegedly diverting Rs 90.72 crore worth of foreign funds meant for ambulances and other articles received by his NGO Advantage India from Europe’s leading missile manufacturing company MBDA and aviation major Airbus.
Talwar’s role in some aviation deals during the UPA regime at the Centre is also under the scanner.
Talwar was booked by the ED and the CBI in criminal cases of corruption, while the Income Tax Department charged him with tax evasion.
Both Saxena and Talwar were arrested by the ED soon after arrival at the airport here.
The duo was picked by Dubai authorities on Wednesday “in assistance” to a request made by Indian agencies, officials said.
A co-accused and alleged middleman in the case British national Christian James Michel was recently extradited from Dubai to India last month.
Michel is currently undergoing judicial custody.
Saxena’s lawyers alleged that no extradition proceedings were started against him in the UAE and he was not allowed to access his family or lawyers while being sent to India.
Earlier, the ED had summoned Saxena, a resident of Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, multiple times in the case and had arrested his wife Shivani Saxena from the Chennai airport in July, 2017. She is now out on bail.
The ED had alleged that Rajeev, his wife and their two Dubai-based firms — Ms UHY Saxena, Dubai and Ms Matrix Holdings — routed “the proceeds of crime and further layered and integrated in buying the immovable properties/shares among others”.
The ED had said its probe found that AgustaWestland International Ltd, UK paid an amount of Euro 58 million as kickbacks through Gordian Services Sarl, Tunisia and IDS Sarl, Tunisia.
“These companies further siphoned off the said money/ proceeds of crime in the name of consultancy contracts to Interstellar Technologies Ltd, Mauritius, and others which were further transferred to UHY Saxena, Dubai and Matrix Holdings Ltd. Dubai and others,” the ED had charged.
The ED had said Saxena is “beneficial owner” of Interstellar Technologies Ltd and both his companies received proceeds of crime in their respective Dubai bank accounts from this firm.