The political tsunami of AgustaWestland is hitting all levels of Indian politicians and the bureaucrats. A $450-million dollar deal involving the purchase of Italian helicopters for Indian government use, which made news in 2013 after Italian authorities arrested the CEO of the helicopter company over charges of bribery and money laundering, has assumed centre stage again after a recent Italian court judgement identified the role of former Indian Air Force chief S.P. Tyagi forh being bribed to ensure that the deal went through.
Now inevitably, the ruling BJP is gearing up to target Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in order to raise discussions over the Italian court order which has noted that the UPA government at the time was reluctant to “share critical documents with investigators”.
Actually the matter dates back to 2010, when the UPA government and the Indian Air Force agreed to purchase twelve helicopters from Italian company AgustaWestland. These helicopters were to be used primarily to transport the president, the prime minister and any other VVIP.
Likewise the most public scams in India, the controversy around the deal revolves around with whether Indian government and air force officials received bribes in order to give the contract to AgustaWestland. In 2013, Italian authorities arrested AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini and Finmeccanica (the parent company of AugutaWestland) Chairman Guiseppe Orsi over charges that they engaged middlemen to bribe Indian politicians and Indian Air Force officials in order to secure the deal.
Thereafter, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) started their own investigations and the helicopter contract was put on hold. A majority of the money paid out to AgustaWestland has been recovered, mostly in the UPA years.
During initial investigations and immediately after the controversy broke, most attention was centred on Tyagi whose cousins allegedly received kick-backs through various north Indian shell companies. Tyagi also was in the limelight after the Italian authorities alleged that he used his position as air force chief to favour AgustaWestland by tweaking the minimum technical specifications required for the purchased helicopters.
Moreover, moment an enquiry is launched against party bosses, congress party goes to town claiming vendetta politics. They adopted the same tactics when court summoned Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and Mr. Rahul Gandhi along with others on National Herald case. When ED raided house of chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, Mr. Birbhadra Singh, on charge of cookingis tax return, congress cried vengeance and stalled parliament function. I guess things niever change. Irrespective of the side they occupy in parliament, ruling or opposition, some parties try to shield the corrupt sidelining national interest.
Indeed, the scam which is being called India’s biggest defence scam after Bofors has put the congress Supremo Sonia Gandhi in a spot of bother and deep trouble with her name appearing in the conversation between three middlemen — Carlos Gerosa, Christian Michel, and Guildo Haschke. The three are believed to have mentioned the name of a ‘Mrs. Gandhi’ in their conversation. The Milan Court of Appeals, in its judgment, noted the conversations between the above mentioned, who mention ‘Mrs. Gandhi’ as being the ‘driving force behind the VIP’ and her close aides Ahmed Patel and Pranab Mukherjee. However Pranab Mukherjee is referred to as being the ‘British High Commissioner’. In a letter dated 15 March 2008, Christian Michel wrote to Peter Hulet, the then head of India region sales and liaison for AugustaWestland, saying “Dear Peter, since Mrs. Gandhi is the driving force behind the VIP, she will no longer fly with MI8 . Mrs. Gandhi and her closest advisers are the aids of the High Commissioner, senior adviser Prime Minister Manmohan Singh obviously the main figure, then there’s Ahmed Patel Secretary”.
While being the matter of national security, the issue is making a lot of noise in the Rajya sabha lately. Irrespective of the case and the popularity of the names involved in the case, justice has to prevail and the guilty are to be punished. But the alleged involvement of Mrs. Gandhi in the case is making the case a political battle, where the ruling NDA and the opposition UPA are fighting to embarrass each other. This case, however, is going to shadow the path of Smt. Sonia Gandhi the way Bofors shadowed the political path of Late. Rajiv Gandhi. The party which is apparently fighting for its political existence is on a back foot with this case tightening its hold on the party president. But keeping the political flavor of the case aside, we strongly hope and urge that the guilty are tried and brought to justice. Let the flame of truth flash bright and burn all traces of corruption and false play.
Now inevitably, the ruling BJP is gearing up to target Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in order to raise discussions over the Italian court order which has noted that the UPA government at the time was reluctant to “share critical documents with investigators”.
Actually the matter dates back to 2010, when the UPA government and the Indian Air Force agreed to purchase twelve helicopters from Italian company AgustaWestland. These helicopters were to be used primarily to transport the president, the prime minister and any other VVIP.
Likewise the most public scams in India, the controversy around the deal revolves around with whether Indian government and air force officials received bribes in order to give the contract to AgustaWestland. In 2013, Italian authorities arrested AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini and Finmeccanica (the parent company of AugutaWestland) Chairman Guiseppe Orsi over charges that they engaged middlemen to bribe Indian politicians and Indian Air Force officials in order to secure the deal.
Thereafter, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) started their own investigations and the helicopter contract was put on hold. A majority of the money paid out to AgustaWestland has been recovered, mostly in the UPA years.
During initial investigations and immediately after the controversy broke, most attention was centred on Tyagi whose cousins allegedly received kick-backs through various north Indian shell companies. Tyagi also was in the limelight after the Italian authorities alleged that he used his position as air force chief to favour AgustaWestland by tweaking the minimum technical specifications required for the purchased helicopters.
Moreover, moment an enquiry is launched against party bosses, congress party goes to town claiming vendetta politics. They adopted the same tactics when court summoned Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and Mr. Rahul Gandhi along with others on National Herald case. When ED raided house of chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, Mr. Birbhadra Singh, on charge of cookingis tax return, congress cried vengeance and stalled parliament function. I guess things niever change. Irrespective of the side they occupy in parliament, ruling or opposition, some parties try to shield the corrupt sidelining national interest.
Indeed, the scam which is being called India’s biggest defence scam after Bofors has put the congress Supremo Sonia Gandhi in a spot of bother and deep trouble with her name appearing in the conversation between three middlemen — Carlos Gerosa, Christian Michel, and Guildo Haschke. The three are believed to have mentioned the name of a ‘Mrs. Gandhi’ in their conversation. The Milan Court of Appeals, in its judgment, noted the conversations between the above mentioned, who mention ‘Mrs. Gandhi’ as being the ‘driving force behind the VIP’ and her close aides Ahmed Patel and Pranab Mukherjee. However Pranab Mukherjee is referred to as being the ‘British High Commissioner’. In a letter dated 15 March 2008, Christian Michel wrote to Peter Hulet, the then head of India region sales and liaison for AugustaWestland, saying “Dear Peter, since Mrs. Gandhi is the driving force behind the VIP, she will no longer fly with MI8 . Mrs. Gandhi and her closest advisers are the aids of the High Commissioner, senior adviser Prime Minister Manmohan Singh obviously the main figure, then there’s Ahmed Patel Secretary”.
While being the matter of national security, the issue is making a lot of noise in the Rajya sabha lately. Irrespective of the case and the popularity of the names involved in the case, justice has to prevail and the guilty are to be punished. But the alleged involvement of Mrs. Gandhi in the case is making the case a political battle, where the ruling NDA and the opposition UPA are fighting to embarrass each other. This case, however, is going to shadow the path of Smt. Sonia Gandhi the way Bofors shadowed the political path of Late. Rajiv Gandhi. The party which is apparently fighting for its political existence is on a back foot with this case tightening its hold on the party president. But keeping the political flavor of the case aside, we strongly hope and urge that the guilty are tried and brought to justice. Let the flame of truth flash bright and burn all traces of corruption and false play.
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