AgustaWestland chopper scam: CBI to send reminder for probing Governors

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation, awaiting president’s consent to question the governors of West Bengal and Goa, MK Narayanan and BV Wangchoo, to carry forward a probe into the AgustaWestland helicopter scandal, will soon send a reminder to the president’s secretariat.

“We have already clarified to the government that we are seeking to question the two governors only as witnesses and not suspects,” a senior CBI official said. “The Law Ministry, however, said we need the president’s assent to do so as both persons are constitutional authorities now. We are still awaiting the permission…and a reminder will be sent soon,” the senior CBI official told ET, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

The CBI had requested permission from the president’s secretariat to question the two officials in their earlier capacity as the National Security Advisor (NSA) and chief of the Special Protection Group (SPG). Both the officials are believed to have participated in the decision to buy VVIP helicopters from AugustaWestland.

The federal agency’s probe into the case is said to be its final stages but the official said that questioning of the two governors was “imperative” to finalize the case.

“We may opt to send a questionnaire to the governors and seek their response if president grants the permission,” the official said. CBI had last month sent a questionnaire to the prime minister’s advisor, TKA Nair, regarding the coal scam rather than question him in person.