AgustaWestland case: Delhi court sends alleged middleman Christian Michel to 7-day ED remand

Christian Michel was sent to a 7-day ED remand by Delhi's Patiala House court.

NEW DELHI: Delhi's Patiala House Court on Saturday sent British national Christian Michel, the alleged middleman arrested in the multi-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case, to seven-day remand of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) shortly after he was arrested by the central agency.

Michel was produced before the Patiala House Court by the ED officials.

He was produced before Special Judge Arvind Kumar where the ED sought his 15-day custody for further interrogation

The court allowed the ED to interrogate the British national inside courtroom for 15 minutes after the agency pressed for his custodial interrogation. 

He was formally arrested after that. The ED had sought his arrest in a money-laundering case.

The alleged AgustaWestland case middleman was arrested in the UAE and extradited to India on December 4. 

The next day, he was produced before the court, which allowed his five-day custodial interrogation by the CBI.

It was extended by five more days, and later for another four days.

The court had reserved the order on Michel's bail plea on December 19 and had sent him to judicial custody till December 28. Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI. The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. 

The CBI has alleged there was an estimated loss of Euro 398.21 million (about Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer in the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010, for the supply of VVIP choppers worth Euro 556.262 million. 

The ED, in its charge sheet filed against Michel in June 2016, had alleged that he received EUR 30 million (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland.