Chopper deal: Delhi court seeks ED's response on businessman Gautam Khaitan's bail plea

NEW DELHI: Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been directed by a Delhi court to respond to the bail plea filed by businessman Gautam Khaitan, the lone accused arrested in connection with a money laundering case related to Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal.

Special CBI Judge V K Gupta will tomorrow hear arguments on the bail plea.

Khaitan was earlier refused bail by the court which had taken cognisance of ED's charge sheet filed in the case against five accused, including two Italian nationals, Gerosa Carlo Valentino Ferdinand and Haschke Guido Ralph.

Besides them, ED has also named Gautam Khaitan's wife Ritu Khaitan and Chandigarh-based firm Aeromatrix Info Solutions Pvt Ltd as accused in the case. These five accused have been summoned for January 19 by the court.

They were chargesheeted by ED for the offences under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Khaitan was arrested in September last year by ED in the chopper deal case in which CBI is also running a separate probe.

ED had earlier alleged in the court that Khaitan was "actively involved" in the illegal transactions relating to proceeds of crime and he was one of the beneficiaries of the entire deal. It is probing the case in which 70 million euros (Rs 360 crore) were allegedly paid as kickbacks.

It had earlier submitted that Khaitan was on the board of Aeromatrix which was allegedly a front firm for the financial dealings.

ED had lodged a case in July this year against Khaitan, former IAF chief S P Tyagi and 19 others in the VVIP chopper deal case to probe the alleged kickbacks.

The agency had claimed that Khaitan had resigned as one of the directors in Aeromatrix after Italian Police started its probe in the chopper deal.

ED has booked Tyagi, some of his family members, European nationals Gerosa Carlo Valentino Ferdinand, Haschke Guido Ralph and Christian Michel, six firms -- Italy-based Finmeccanica, UK-based AgustaWestland, Chandigarh-based IDS Infotech and Aeromatrix, two companies based in Mauritius and Tunisia and unnamed persons in its criminal complaint.

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.