AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper Scam Case: Witness Names Kamal Nath’s Son and Nephew

AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper Scam Case: Saxena, a chartered accountant by profession has also named Congress leaders Salman Khurshid and Sonia Gandhi's close aide Ahmed Patel in his statement.

Edited By: Rajashree Seal

Updated: November 17, 2020, 1:22 PM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/india/agustawestland-vvip-chopper-scam-case-witness-names-kamal-naths-son-and-nephew-4213179/ Copy

पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री कमलनाथ

New Delhi: Key accused in the Rs 3,000-crore AugustaWestland VVIP chopper scam case, Rajiv Saxena has mentioned former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s son Bakul Nath and nephew Ratul Puri in interrogation statements, said a report. Saxena, a chartered accountant by profession has also named Congress leaders Salman Khurshid and Sonia Gandhi’s close aide Ahmed Patel in his statement.

Currently on bail, Saxena who was extradited from Dubai to India in July 2019. He was interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which attached his assets worth Rs 385 crore. And, now the ED has moved the Supreme Court to remove Saxena of his approver status for allegedly not fully disclosing the facts of the case, said an Indian Express report.

On being contacted by The Indian Express, Kamal Nath said, “I have stated earlier that I have nothing to do with the companies or transactions of my nephew, Ratul Puri. As far as my son, Bakul Nath, is concerned, he is an NRI based in Dubai. I had heard about him being described as the Beneficial Owner of Pristine River and when I spoke to my son, he said he knew nothing about the company. There are no documents or bank accounts which prove a connection to him. Anyone can open an offshore account and put a name of someone as Beneficial Owner and not even inform him. He may not even know about it.”

The media house also contacted Salman Khurshid over the matter to which he said, “I am surprised that my name has cropped up as part of the Augusta Westland investigations. Dev Mohan Gupta, the father of Sushen Mohan Gupta is a close family friend and I am his well wisher. Besides knowing him well, I do not know or have any connection with other persons named in the case like Ratul Puri or Rajiv Saxena.’’

The media company has accessed Saxena’s statement which is over 1,000 pages and have also studied other supporting documents like copies of banking statements, records of offshore companies, and email correspondence between key players. The study has revealed that there were several alleged hawala transactions and a complex web of offshore structures that Saxena admitted to setting up for the co-accused.

Saxena’s statement further explained how the kickback money of the AugustaWestland deal which was cancelled by the UPA II government was invested to two other companies– Saxena’s Interstellar Technologies and Global Services owned by Christian Michel who was extradited to India in December 2018 and remains in jail.