VVIP chopper scam: Guido Haschke accepts links with Tyagi family but refutes bribery

NEW DELHI: European middleman Guido Haschke, an accused in the VVIP helicopter bribery scandal, has said he had relations with the cousins of former Indian Air Force Chief SP Tyagi, but claimed he was not aware of any illegal gratification to clinch the deal.

During his deposition before a court in Milan, Haschke claimed he knew the cousins of former IAF Chief -- Juli, Dosca and Sanjeev Tyagi -- who have been named in the FIR filed by CBI which is probing the case in India, top sources said.

At the hearing in which a CBI officer was also present, the middleman denied having knowledge of any bribes given to the then air chief.

CBI suspects that AgustaWestland allegedly paid bribes worth 51 million euros through IDS Infotech Tunisia and its subsidiary in Mauritius and India, in which Haschke was a Director, in the form of engineering contracts using fake invoices.

Haschke denied the allegation saying that the money which was routed to India was only for paying for the engineering work done by IDS and to meet the administrative costs incurred by it.

He admitted to having good relations with the cousins of SP Tyagi but claimed he had never met the former air chief, CBI sources said here.

Haschke, who was arrested in Switzerland and extradited to Italy, is facing trial in a Milan court for alleged corrupt activities along with top executives of AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica.