India to cancel Rs 3,600 crore Augusta Westland helicopter deal

India to cancel Rs 3,600 crore Augusta Westland helicopter deal who got kickbacks

Reuters reported that India has decided to cancel a scandal-tainted helicopter deal with Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland

On October 21, 2013  the Defense Ministry had issued a final show cause notice to AgustaWestland, seeking to cancel the deal to buy 12 helicopters and given the company 21 days to reply.

Italian investigators exposed the scam in this deal

Italian investigators had alleged the firm bribed former air chief SP Tyagi to change the tender requirements and paid middlemen more than Rs. 450 crore in kickbacks while the deal was being set up.

In India CBI is investigating this matter

In February, the government froze payments on the USD 771.32-million contract following allegations that Rs 360 crore was paid in bribes.

Currently the case is going on in Italian Courts regarding this

PTI reported that facing the threat of cancellation of its Rs 3,600 crore deal for supplying VVIP choppers to the Air Force, AgustaWestland officials will present their case before the Defense Ministry here tomorrow.

It’s still not clear who received the kickbacks in this deal

Just like Bofors Case we will never know exactly what happened in this case

If the deal gets cancelled means definitely some type of wrong doing happened in this Helicopter Deal

Reality views by sm –

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Tags – Augusta Westland Deal