AgustaWestland case: Supreme Court rejects plea by Christian Michel against bail condition to provide local address

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea filed by British national Christian Michel James, who challenged the Delhi High Court's order directing him to furnish details of the address where he intended to reside post-release on bail in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland money laundering case.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sanjay Kumar told James that the court granted him bail but if he does not fulfill the condition of providing a local address, he can have a permanent address inside the Tihar jail.

The court declined to entertain his plea.

During the hearing, the bench told counsel, representing James, “You have a permanent address inside the Tihar jail, stay there only. Finished. What to do? You have been granted bail. You don't even want to fulfil a condition of providing a local address.”

James, alleged to be a middleman in the case, challenged the May 22 order of the high court which modified his bail conditions.

The ED’s counsel said the high court's order was in favour of James. The bench asked James’ counsel as to what is the problem and which condition is hurting his client.

The bench was informed that the high court had directed James to furnish the details of his residential address where he intends to reside post-release, and before being released from jail, this address will be verified by the trial court through the ED.

James’s counsel said he does not have a local address and he had been inside the Tihar jail for the last six years and six months so he cannot fulfill this condition unless he comes out of jail.

The bench said if the petitioner could arrange to pursue his matter in courts, he must have some contacts.

The counsel said assistance has been extended by the British High Commission.

The bench said then let the high commission take care of it and made it clear that it is not keen to entertain the plea.

The high court had considered his prolonged incarceration, his status as a foreign national, and his inability to arrange for a local surety. Against this backdrop, the high court had modified the bail condition imposed earlier.

It had said instead of the requirement to furnish a personal bond and surety bond of Rs five lakh each, James shall now furnish a personal bond of Rs five lakh along with a cash surety in the enhanced sum of Rs 10 lakh.

Further, the high court had also modified the bail condition to surrender his passport, which had already expired, before the trial court to the extent that he might be released on bail without depositing his passport "immediately".

On March 4, the high court had granted bail to James in the ED case while the Supreme Court had granted him reprieve in a related CBI case on February 18.

The probe agencies have alleged irregularities in the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from Italian manufacturing company AgustaWestland.

James was extradited from Dubai in December 2018 and was subsequently arrested by the CBI and the ED.