AgustaWestland Case: Delhi Court Dismisses Christian Michel’s Bail Plea

Michel, 57, was brought to India following his extradition by the United Arab Emirates in December 2018. 

New Delhi: A Delhi cpurt on Saturday rejected the bail plea of Christian Michel , the alleged middleman in Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case. Special judge Arvind Kumar rejected Michel’s plea in the cases filed by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.

Michel, a British national, sought the bail saying he has been in custody since December 4, 2018, and as per Section 167(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the probe was supposed to be completed by February 3, and the charge sheet was also not filed within the stipulated 60-day period, his defence counsel told the court.

The CBI argued the charge sheet against the accused, including Michel, has been filed and proceedings have started. Quoting provisions of Section 167(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the CBI said the 60-day criteria was not applicable in this case.

Meanwhile, the ED, on its part said rather than filing various prosecution complaints piecemeal, the agency is in the process of filing a detailed and comprehensive prosecution complaint.

Michel, 57, was brought to India following his extradition by the United Arab Emirates in December 2018. He is one of the three middlemen being probed in the case, besides Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa, by the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI.