NEW DELHI: In the AgustaWestland chopper deal case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday has attached assets worth about Rs 7 crore alleged to be in the name of cousins of former Indian Air Force chief S P Tyagi.
Sources said the properties attached under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) are located in and around the national capital region and the estimated book value of the assets is about Rs 7 crore.
About five immovable assets have been attached as part of the fresh orders and they are in the name of the family members of Tyagi, they said. The ED has been probing the VVIP helicopters purchase under PMLA and has questioned Tyagi’s cousin Sanjeev in the past. Tyagi has denied any wrongdoing in the purchase of 12 AgustaWestland choppers from Italy, a case being probed by CBI also.
The agency has booked Tyagi, his family members, European nationals Carlo Gerosa, Christian Michel and Guido Haschke, six companies— UK-based AgustaWestland, Italy-based Finmeccanica and Chandigarh-based IDS Infotech and Aeromatrix and one each based in Mauritius and Tunisia, and unknown persons in its criminal complaint under PMLA.
The supply of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland came under the scanner after the Italian authorities had alleged that bribes were paid by the company to clinch the deal.
The Enforcement Directorate is probing corruption charges in the Rs 3,546 crore deal that was signed in 2010.
Last year in July, ED had lodged a case this year against businessman Gautam Khaitan, SP Tyagi and 19 others in the VVIP chopper deal case to probe alleged kickbacks. ED had earlier said Khaitan had resigned as one of the directors in Aeromatrix after Italian Police started its probe in the chopper deal.