NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday in its order granted bail to the alleged middleman and British national, Christian Michel James, accused in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper corruption scam case.
"We grant bail to the accused, petitioner (Christian Michel James) at this stage," said, the two-judge bench of the top court comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta.
While granting bail to James, the apex court considered the fact that the accused was in custody for the past six years while the CBI probe into the matter was still underway.
The top court made it clear in its order that James would be released on bail, subject to the terms and conditions decided by the trial court.
The accused had moved the apex court by filing an appeal challenging the September 25, 2024, order of the Delhi High Court, denying him bail.
A trial court in Delhi had also rejected his similar plea seeking release from custody in the case, after which he moved the Delhi HC.
According to CBI, the accused, James, who was extradited in 2018 after India won the extradition case in Dubai, is the alleged middleman in the deal. After he was being deported from the UAE, he is currently in Indian judicial custody.
James, in his bail plea, had argued before the top court that his detention, deportation deporta and custody in India were in contravention of the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and that he was already acquitted by courts in Italy on similar charges.
In May, 2023, the Apex Court issued a notice in a similar bail application filed by James, while directing the CBI and Directorate of Enforcement to submit their responses.
In September 2023, the Delhi High Court in its order denied bail to James in the Case, stating that there were "no new grounds or substantial changes in circumstances warranting reconsideration of his bail."
"The accused, (James) if released on bail, could lead to witness tampering and or evidence manipulation in the case," the Delhi HC noted in its order.
Senior lawyer DP Singh, appearing for the CBI argued before the bench of the Dehi HC that granting bail to James might 'jeopardise the integrity of the investigation'.
"The potential influence on the case remains a crucial point of contention for the authorities. Keeping in view his extensive international connections, his tampering is a major issue, if he be enlarged on bail," the CBI stated before the HC.
The alleged scam relates to the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from chopper design and manufacturing company AgustaWestland.