AgustaWestland chopper scam: CBI said it is awaiting confirmation on reports about Christian Michel's extradition
While CBI awaits official confirmation from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on reports about the extradition of Christian Michel, news agency PTI has learnt that there was no court order on extradition of Michel to India as reported.
Michel, an alleged middleman in AgustaWestland helicopter scam case, is wanted by Indian investigating agencies in the Rs 36,000 crore scam.
The development comes a day after the reports suggested that a Dubai court cleared the extradition of Michel to India on September 2, 2018.
CBI sources told PTI the agency was in touch with MEA officials but they did not receive any official communication from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). "We are awaiting official communication in this regard," one of the sources said.
But the latest report says that there is no order by any UAE court to extradite Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in AgustaWestland deal, to India, it is learnt.
According to available details here, the UAE government posed a question to a Dubai court whether a British national can be extradited to a third country and on September 2, the court gave an opinion on the query, but there was no court order on extradition of Michel to India as reported.
The external affairs ministry had asked its embassy in the UAE to find out all the details relating to the issue.
Government sources said India has not received any official communication from authorities in the UAE relating to extradition of Michel.
The Enforcement Directorate (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.
Michel is one of the three middlemen being probed in the case, besides Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa, by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Both the agencies have notified an Interpol red corner notice against him after the court issued a non-bailable warrant.
(With inputs from PTI)
