The CBI is likely to examine Air Chief Marshal (retd) S P Tyagi in connection with a preliminary enquiry (PE) registered by the agency to probe into the allegations of kickbacks in the `3,600-crore chopper deal.
The CBI is studying the documents that its team got from Italy on Monday.
Based on the evidence and information in them, the agency would decide whether the matter merits registration of a case.
Italian law enforcement agencies have alleged that bribes amounting to `362 crore were paid by AgustaWestland to bag the deal for supply of 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the Indian Air Force.
The CBI is likely to seek information and documents from two Chandigarh based IDS Infotech and Aeromatrix in connection with its probe. Italian law enforcement agencies have alleged that both the companies had entered into bogus contracts to route bribe money to India as payments for the services rendered.
The CBI had on Monday named 11 people, including Air Chief Marshal (retd) S P Tyagi and his cousins, and four companies -- AgustaWestland, its parent firm Finmeccanica, IDS Infotech and Aeromatrix -- in its preliminary enquiry.
Rajya Sabha to Discuss Chopper Issue Today
The government on Tuesday accepted the Opposition demand for a discussion on the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, BJP member Prakash Javadekar said the matter is in the spotlight with the media coming up with stories each day.
“The whole nation is robbed.... Every day, we are reading and hearing stories and the House is not discussing it. This is not acceptable,” he asserted.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley urged that the government should give a date for the debate, “preferably tomorrow (Wednesday)”, so that the minister could reply to this. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla said the government was ready for discussion, but that Defence Minister A K Antony felt more information could be presented by next week.
“But in case you are insisting that it should be tomorrow, I am ready for tomorrow also,” he said.