AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal: CBI quizzes SP Tyagi and cousins

NEW DELHI: Former air chief SP Tyagi and his three cousins were on Wednesday examined by CBI for several hours in connection with the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal. Tyagi may be examined again on Thursday.

The former air chief arrived at the CBI headquarters around 3 pm, on Wednesday, and left after 5 pm. CBI did his detailed examination after his cousins, Sanjeev Tyagi, Sandeep Tyagi and Rajeev Tyagi, were questioned earlier in the day. Tyagi and his cousins are named by Italian prosecutors in their probe report which also says Gerosa and Haschkhe had close contacts with the former air chief's family, particularly his three cousins. The four persons, who are named in CBI’s PE as well, were hence questioned on Wednesday about their alleged association with European middlemen Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschkhe who have been accused by the Italian investigators of payment of illegal gratification to swing the deal for the VVIP choppers in favour of Agusta Westland.

CBI had examined executives of Indian arms of Aeromatrix and IDS Infotech — the companies through which the alleged bribe to Tyagi’s cousins was routed from Mauritius and Tunisia in the garb of payments for engineering contracts, as per the CBI’s PE. It is looking to convert its PE into an FIR soon so that it can send letters rogatory to Italy, UK, Mauritius and Tunisia for more information and documents regarding the scam.