The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a fresh plea seeking the release of British national Christian Michael James, an alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal case.
The case relates to a 2010 agreement signed during the UPA government to procure 12 helicopters worth about Rs 3,600 crore for VVIP travel, including for the President and the Prime Minister. In 2013, allegations surfaced that the deal involved corruption to the tune of Rs 423 crore, leading the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate to register cases and make arrests.
After the NDA government came to power in 2014, the AgustaWestland contract was cancelled. The CBI later filed a chargesheet naming James as an intermediary linked to the alleged irregularities.
James was extradited from Dubai in December 2018 and lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. Though the Supreme Court granted him bail last year in the CBI and ED cases, he remained in custody for failing to fully meet the conditions, including depositing a Rs 15 lakh surety amount.
A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja heard his renewed request and rejected the arguments advanced on his behalf, refusing to order his release on bail.
