AgustaWestland PMLA case: Delhi HC reserves order on Christian Michel bail modification plea

New Delhi [India], May 7(ANI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday reserved the order on a petition filed by British Citizen Christian James Michel, seeking Modification to the bail conditions in the money laundering case linked to the AgustaWestland helicopter deal.
Advocate Aljo K Joseph appeared for Christian James stated that Christian James cannot meet the bail surety requirement since he lacks family or friends in India. He requests modifications to secure James' release, stating it's nearly impossible to find an Indian surety.
James also seeks changes to the condition requiring him to surrender his passport. Joseph explains that obtaining a UK passport from abroad takes 8 to 12 weeks, making immediate submission impossible. He urges both conditions to be modified for James' bail.
The bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma noted that the submission reserved the order on the modification application.
Christian James Michel through plea requested for the waiver of the bail condition mandating a surety of Rs 5 lakh. As a foreign national with no familial ties or significant connections in India, he has sought either a modification or removal of the requirement to provide an Indian surety.
The same bench on March 4, 2025, granted bail to Christian James Michel in the matter while granting bail to Christian James Michel in the money laundering case, the high court directed him to provide a personal bond and a surety of Rs 5 lakh each, in addition to surrendering his passport to the trial court.
Through a plea, James further requested the revocation of the passport surrender condition, stating that his passport has expired and obtaining a new one would take an estimated 4 to 8 weeks.
On February 18, the Supreme Court granted bail to Christian Michel James, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper scam, stating that "the trial may not be completed in the next 25 years at this pace." Michel was arrested and extradited on December 4, 2018, while the FIR was registered in 2013. The Rs 3,600-crore scam involves the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland.
James was extradited from Dubai in December 2018 and subsequently arrested by the CBI and the ED. He is one of the three alleged middlemen under investigation in the case, alongside Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.
According to the CBI's chargesheet, the deal signed on February 8, 2010, for the supply of VVIP helicopters worth 556.262 million euros caused an estimated loss of 398.21 million euros (approximately Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer.
The ED's chargesheet filed against James in June 2016 alleged that he received 30 million euros (about Rs 225 crore) from AugustaWestland.
The AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, during the Congress-led UPA Government and refers to a multimillion-dollar corruption case where money was allegedly paid to middlemen and Indian officials in 2006 and 2007 to purchase helicopters for high-level politicians.
Following significant controversy and allegations of corruption, the Government of India ordered an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 12, 2013. Subsequently, the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in 2014. (ANI)