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Chopper scam: CBI to quiz SP Tyagi today

by IBNS 01 May 2016, 08:35 pm

New Delhi, May 2 (IBNS): The Central Bureau of Investigation is likely to quiz former IAF chief SP Tyagi over the multi-million dollar AgustaWestland chopper deal on Monday.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday summoned S.P. Tyagi

The scam has already rocked the Parliament this week with the ruling BJP targeting the Congress and its president Sonia Gandhi over the issue.

The Centre on Saturday clarified that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not  struck a deal with Italy on the multi-million dollar AgustaWestland chopper deal.

"Those who cannot see Prime Minister succeed even hint at him cutting a deal. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Prime Minister Modi did not cut any deal of any sort. His only goal and priority is the development of comprehensive national power, and empowerment of our masses," read a government statement.

An Italian court investigated the contract because Augusta's parent company is Finmeccanica, an Italian defence manufacturer, and decided that vast amounts of bribes were routed to India by company executives to land the deal for 12 VVIP helicopters for about Rs. 3,600 crore.

 The deal was cancelled by India in 2014 after the Italians began investigating it, a point the Congress is flashing in its defence along with the fact that AgustaWestland has not been banned by the new government from bidding for new defence deals.

The Congress  made its own demand for a discussion on AugustaWestland demanding to know why the defence manufacturer accused of corruption was taken off a blacklist by the Narendra Modi government.