: Defence Minister:UPA must answer who received kickbacks in AgustaWestland chopper deal

Apr 30,

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said UPA must answer who received kickbacks in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal. Briefing media, the Minister said the main question is who received the bribe. He said Italian High Court equivalent had clearly said that political corruption was 15.8 million euros, which amounts to 125 crore rupees.

Meanwhile, Congress has accused BJP of lying and misleading people in the AgustaWestland deal scam. Briefing media in New Delhi, party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked why NDA government gave protection to AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica for the last two years. He said smear campaigns by BJP cannot cover up the fact that BJP helped AgustaWestland.

In the AgustaWestland VVIP choppers deal case CBI begins questioning Air Marshal (Rtd) J.S. Gujral at its headquarters in New Delhi. Gujral, who has earlier been examined as a witness in the case, was asked by the agency to come for questioning in the case. He who retired as deputy chief of air staff, was in charge of procurements.

CBI has also called former Air chief S P Tyagi for questioning on Monday. The Milan Court of Appeals, equivalent of Indian high courts, has given details of how alleged bribes were paid by helicopter maker Finmeccanica and AgustaWestland to Indian officials through middlemen to clinch the deal. The order mentions the name of Tyagi at several points.