Italy’s Supreme Court Orders Retrial of
Ex-Finmeccanica Boss
On Friday, Italy’s supreme court suspended the four-a-half-year prison sentence handed to the former boss of Finmeccanica, Giuseppe Orsi, for false accounting and corruption in connection with the chopper scam case.
The court ordered a retrial in the case after it found procedural errors in the sentence handed by the Milan appeals court in April this year. The defence and the prosecution cited differences in the April sentence from earlier rulings.
The Rs 3,600 crore deal to supply 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland came under the scanner after Italian authorities claimed that the company paid bribes.
Former IAF chief SP Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi alias Julie, and Delhi-based advocate Gautam Khaitan, who were arrested by the CBI in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case on 9 December, will be produced in Patiala House Court on Saturday.
Retired Indian Air Force Air Marshal Denzil Keelor, former Army Chief Nirmal Chander Vij and former Air Chief Marshal SK Kaul were also present at the proceedings to show their support for Tyagi.
The court had remanded the three to a four-day CBI custody last Saturday.
The court further extended the accused’s CBI custody by three days on Wednesday after the investigative agency requested to allow it to complete its questioning and confront Tyagi with replies it received through letters rogatory from other countries.
The Patiala House Court on Saturday remanded former Air Force Chief SP Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi (alias Julie Tyagi) and his lawyer Gautam Khaitan to judicial custody till 30 December.
The chopper scam accused trio are unlikely to get any relief from the court as the bail plea hearing will be taken up only on 21 December.
- Patiala House Court has remanded former IAF Chief SP Tyagi to judicial custody till 30 December
- His cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and advocate Gautam Khaitan were also remanded
- The court will hear the bail pleas on 21 December
- The three accused were arrested by the CBI on 9 December for their alleged involvement in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam
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