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The Ministry of Defence (MoD) clarified on Thursday that controversial helicopter design and manufacturing company Agusta-Westland has no commercial links in India at the moment.
While all dealings with MoD has been suspended, an industrial licence given to the company to enter into a joint venture with Tata Sons has expired, it added.
In September 2011, the Foreign Investment Promotion Board approved a proposal from Indian Rotorcraft Ltd, a joint venture of Tata Sons with AgustaWestland NV, Netherlands. This was later changed to AgustaWestland S.p.A, Italy, due to re-organisation within the group.
An industrial licence for the manufacture of helicopters was granted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion to Indian Rotorcraft Ltd on February 7, 2012. However, the validity of the licence has since expired, MoD stated. Asserting that the core issue is corruption, MoD stated that the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate were vigorously pursuing all aspects of the investigation, including the arrests and extradition of three foreign nationals, Carlo Gerosa, Guido Haschke Ralph and Christian Michel James.
Red Notices were issued against them in December 2015 and January 2016 through Interpol under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Prevention of Corruption Act. Extradition request has also been made for Christian Michel James.
The ED has arrested an Indian national and attached approximately Rs 11 crore of property belonging to Indian nationals and to Christian Michel James.
Though MoD did not name the Indian, Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan was the first person who was arrested by the ED in the VVIP chopper scam. In July 2014, MoD put on hold all acquisition cases in the pipeline involving six companies named in the FIR registered by the CBI.
The companies are: AgustaWestland International Ltd, UK; Finmeccanica, Italy and its group of companies, including subsidiaries and affiliates; IDS, Tunisia; Infotech Design System (IDS), Mauritius; IDS Infotech Ltd., Mohali and Aeromatrix Info Solution Pvt. Ltd, Chandigarh. Khaitan was on the board of Aeromatrix.
While all dealings with MoD has been suspended, an industrial licence given to the company to enter into a joint venture with Tata Sons has expired, it added.
In September 2011, the Foreign Investment Promotion Board approved a proposal from Indian Rotorcraft Ltd, a joint venture of Tata Sons with AgustaWestland NV, Netherlands. This was later changed to AgustaWestland S.p.A, Italy, due to re-organisation within the group.
An industrial licence for the manufacture of helicopters was granted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion to Indian Rotorcraft Ltd on February 7, 2012. However, the validity of the licence has since expired, MoD stated. Asserting that the core issue is corruption, MoD stated that the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate were vigorously pursuing all aspects of the investigation, including the arrests and extradition of three foreign nationals, Carlo Gerosa, Guido Haschke Ralph and Christian Michel James.
Red Notices were issued against them in December 2015 and January 2016 through Interpol under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Prevention of Corruption Act. Extradition request has also been made for Christian Michel James.
The ED has arrested an Indian national and attached approximately Rs 11 crore of property belonging to Indian nationals and to Christian Michel James.
Though MoD did not name the Indian, Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan was the first person who was arrested by the ED in the VVIP chopper scam. In July 2014, MoD put on hold all acquisition cases in the pipeline involving six companies named in the FIR registered by the CBI.
The companies are: AgustaWestland International Ltd, UK; Finmeccanica, Italy and its group of companies, including subsidiaries and affiliates; IDS, Tunisia; Infotech Design System (IDS), Mauritius; IDS Infotech Ltd., Mohali and Aeromatrix Info Solution Pvt. Ltd, Chandigarh. Khaitan was on the board of Aeromatrix.
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(Published 28 April 2016, 19:37 IST)
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