The CBI will send a team of officers to Italy within a week to collect information on the Rs 362 crore allegedly paid by AgustaWestland as kickbacks to bag the chopper deal. The premier investigating agency has registered a complaint based on the inputs received from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
On Friday, an MoD team met the CBI staff and handed over the documents pertaining to the acquisition of the 12 AW-101 helicopters. The CBI may now take a decision on registering a preliminary enquiry (PE) or a case.
The investigating agency will also see if the documents provide enough specific information to warrant registration of a case.
On Monday, Italian law-enforcement agencies arrested Giuseppe Orsi, CEO of Finmeccanica, of which AgustaWestland is a subsidiary, on charges of bribe. These choppers were ordered for the use of IAF’s Communication Squadron which looks after transport requirements of the President, PM and other VVIPs.