New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence had refused to question the middleman Guido Hashcke, who has been alleged in the chopper scam, sources claimed. It is known that the Italian court had allowed Indian authorities to question alleged him on Friday. The reason of refusal had not been known till now.
Meanwhile sources claimed that Haschke had given his statement to the court on his role in the chopper scam in Milan. Sources said that a team of Indian officials present there was given an opportunity to question him.
Haschke claimed that 8.4 million euros had been paid to the bureaucracy and 6 million euros were paid to the officials of air force. Haschke also claimed that they had also paid to politicians.
Haschke said that the 50 per cent of the total money was to be paid to the other middleman Christian Michel and the money to be paid was to be routed through the engineering services contract as part of the deal.
The Defence Ministry is expected to scrap the deal for the 12 VVIP choppers after it found that the Anglo-Italian firm violated the pre-contract integrity pact with India. AgustaWestland and the Tyagi brothers have denied any wrongdoing on their behalf in the deal worth Rs. 3,600 crore.
The reports said that the money was part of draft budget prepared by the middlemen on a paper for the deal in which air force has been written as ‘AF’ and politicians have been referred to as ‘pol’.
He had met former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi six to seven times while recounting his role in the scandal. There was a plan to divide a commission of 7 per cent of the worth of the deal with the three Tyagi brothers, cousins of then Air chief SP Tyagi, said Haschke in the last hearing.
Haschke also claimed for several meetings at different locations between him and his accomplices in the whole episode in Rome and Dubai.
Haschke had said in the hearing that he had kept aside 7 per cent of the deal as his share and for paying the three Tyagi cousins. The crucial middleman was recently arrested by Italian authorities after being extradited by Swiss authorities.
Bureau Report
Leave a Reply