NIL
AgustaWestland scam: CBI quizzes WB governor
New Delhi, June 27 (IBNS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has quizzed West Bengal governor M K Narayanan in connection with the AugustaWestland chopper deal, said reports on Friday.
Narayanan, who was a National Security Advisor in 2005 during the deal, was questioned as a witness in the case on Friday.
The present BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the centre wants to replace Narayanan as theGovernor of West Bengal.
Earlier, the government had issued show cause notice to the AgustaWestland of UK, a subsidiary of Italian defence giant Finmeccanica, on bribery charges in the Rs.4000-crore VVIP chopper deal.
Besides bribing Indian officials for a 12-helicopter deal, Finmeccanica discussed kickbacks for a larger deal with a serving Brigadier in the Indian Army, Italian prosecutors had said.
The report by the investigators said that an alleged middleman for helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, touched the feet of former Air Force chief SP Tyagi.
The scandal scandal involved kickbacks worth upto Rs 360 crores for the deal that was worth about Rs 4,000 crores and allegedly took place during the tenure of Tyagi who headed the air force from 2004 to 2007.
Tyagi had denied the allegations and said that he met one of the alleged AgustaWestland middlemen just once contrary to the charges of "six or seven" meetings.
The middleman Ralph Haschke "confessed" that he met Tyagi six or seven times and once greeted him by touching his feet as a sign of respect, the Italian prosecutors said.
The Italian inquiry also found that in 2003, a serving Brigadier of the Indian Army allegedly demanded $5 million dollars to influence a contract for 197 light helicopters in favour of AgustaWestland.
Earlier, the government had issued show cause notice to the AgustaWestland of UK, a subsidiary of Italian defence giant Finmeccanica, on bribery charges in the Rs.4000-crore VVIP chopper deal.
Besides bribing Indian officials for a 12-helicopter deal, Finmeccanica discussed kickbacks for a larger deal with a serving Brigadier in the Indian Army, Italian prosecutors had said.
The report by the investigators said that an alleged middleman for helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, touched the feet of former Air Force chief SP Tyagi.
The scandal scandal involved kickbacks worth upto Rs 360 crores for the deal that was worth about Rs 4,000 crores and allegedly took place during the tenure of Tyagi who headed the air force from 2004 to 2007.
Tyagi had denied the allegations and said that he met one of the alleged AgustaWestland middlemen just once contrary to the charges of "six or seven" meetings.
The middleman Ralph Haschke "confessed" that he met Tyagi six or seven times and once greeted him by touching his feet as a sign of respect, the Italian prosecutors said.
The Italian inquiry also found that in 2003, a serving Brigadier of the Indian Army allegedly demanded $5 million dollars to influence a contract for 197 light helicopters in favour of AgustaWestland.
Top Headlines
-
News
Ind.AI: Sovereignty, jobs, energy and the What If?
February 20, 2026
-
News
From car diplomacy to global strategy: Modi, Macron upgrade IndiaFrance ties
February 17, 2026
-
News
Seva Teerth: PM Modi inaugurates new PMO, announces these key decisions on first day
February 13, 2026
-
News
Hero of Operation Sindoor: IAF vice chief hails Rafale ahead of mega 114-jet deal
February 11, 2026
-
News
'Govt surrendered before Trump, sold Bharat Mata: Rahul Gandhi attacks Centre over IndiaUS trade deal
February 11, 2026
-
News
Painful times in my marriage: Melinda Gates reacts to Bill Gates being named in Epstein Files
February 05, 2026
-
News
Perverse act of self-immolation: Shashi Tharoor slams Washington Post after son Ishaans layoff
February 05, 2026
-
News
Is India moving away from the Dollar? Strategic shift in foreign reserves signals a new era
February 03, 2026
-
News
This Union budget is about building capacity, not chasing short-term consumption
February 02, 2026
-
News
AI will replace surgeons, coders and billions of jobs, warns Sraddhalu Ranade at MCHD-SKC Memorial Lecture
February 01, 2026




