The CBI is awaiting response from Goa Governor BV Wanchoo for an appointment with its team to question him in the AgustaWestland chopper deal. The questioning, which CBI officially prefers to term as “inquiry”, is regarding the Wanchoo’s role as Special Protection Group (SPG) chief in approving the purchase of the VVIP choppers during the UPA’s tenure.
Former West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan was quizzed by the CBI in the chopper deal last week leading to his resignation on Monday. Then National Security Advisor MK Narayanan and then SPG chief Wanchoo were part of the decision making in changing the technical criteria in the purchase of VVIP helicopters from the Italian company. CBI officers maintain that the Governors were examined as witnesses.
“We have sought time from the Goa Governor for the examination by our probe team. We are awaiting response from his office,” said a source. The CBI had registered an FIR on the chopper deal naming former Indian Air Force Chief SP Tyagi and middlemen like Guido Haschke and fugitive Christian Michel.
last year, the UPA Government had stonewalled the CBI request to question Narayanan and Wanchoo soon after registering the FIR. The NDA Government had given approval to the CBI to go ahead with examining the Governors, which had been termed as pressure tactics to resign from gubernatorial posts. Both Narayanan and Wanchoo are considered as Gandhi family loyalists.