VVIP chopper deal: Court to consider Enforcement Directorate's charge sheet on November 28

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court today fixed November 28 for considering the Enforcement Directorate's charge sheet against businessman Gautam Khaitan and others, including two Italian nationals, in connection with its money laundering probe in the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper deal.

The matter came up for hearing before Special Judge V K Gupta who posted it for November 28 after ED's prosecutor N K Matta informed the court that Khaitan is in judicial custody till then.

According to ED's prosecutor, the agency has named Gautam Khaitan, his wife Ritu, Chandigarh-based firm Aeromatrix and two Italian men, Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke, as accused in its charge sheet.

They have been chargesheeted for the offences under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the agency said.

Khaitan was the first person to be arrested in September this year by ED in the chopper deal case in which CBI is also running a parallel 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.

ED 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 alleged kickbacks.

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

The agency had said a reference to Khaitan was also reportedly made in the Italian prosecutor's report filed in a court there.

He was earlier questioned by CBI in this case. ED had lodged a case in this deal under PMLA, taking cognisance of a more than a year-old CBI FIR.

ED has booked Tyagi, some of his family members, European nationals Carlo Gerosa, Christian Michel and Guido Haschke, 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.