Christian Michel, a main accused in the Agusta Westland VVIP chopper case, has petitioned the Supreme Court for urgent release from prison, invoking his right to life and freedom.
According to Mr. Michel’s appeal, he is a British national who was sentenced to five years and three months in prison; if proven guilty, he could have received a maximum of five years in prison.
He stated that his continued judicial custody is “illegal” since the investigation is ongoing and the trial has not yet begun.
On Monday, the Supreme Court will consider the petition.
The AgustaWestland chopper scandal middleman was arrested in the United Arab Emirates in 2017 and was extradited from Dubai.
The AgustaWestland issue concerns a 2007 government deal to purchase twelve opulent helicopters for use by the president, prime minister, and other prominent figures.
Allegations surfaced in 2014 that the supplier AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, had paid bribes in Italy and India, leading the government to terminate the deal.
The 72-year-old former air chief, SP Tyagi, was detained in 2016 on charges of taking bribes to modify specifications at his relatives’ request. He was the first military head to be arrested in history, whether they were serving or retired.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was ordered to investigate the scam, the Congress party claims, and the helicopter contract was canceled as rumors of bribes surfaced in Italy. The party then blacklisted the firm. Additionally, the company’s foreign and Indian assets were seized.