New Delhi, Feb 12: In a significant development, the head of Italian company Finmeccanica has been arrested in Milan in connection with charges that bribes were paid to secure an Indian defence helicopter deal worth Rs 3600 crore.
“Giuseppe Orsi, the head of Italian defence and aerospace giant Finmeccanica, was arrested on Monday in relation to a probe into international corruption. He is suspected of involvement in the payment of bribes regarding the sale to the Indian government of 12 helicopters produced by Finmeccanica's subsidiary AgustaWestland,” Italian news agency Ansa said.
The 2010 deal has been under the scanner for more than a year now after Italian media reports suggested the arrest of two alleged middlemen in Europe for paying bribes to secure the deal.
The first three of the 12 AgustaWestland VVIP choppers have already arrived in India and the rest are expected to be supplied to the IAF by the middle of next year.
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