Author:
Publication: DNA India
Date: December 29, 2018
URL:      https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-christian-michel-has-taken-name-of-mrs-gandhi-and-son-of-italian-lady-ed-tells-court-2701734/amp?__twitter_impression=true

Enforcement Directorate told a Delhi court that Christian Michel has taken the name "Mrs Gandhi" and “the son of the Italian lady”.

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday told a Delhi court that alleged AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam middleman Christian Michel has taken the name "Mrs Gandhi" and “the son of the Italian lady”.

Seeking further custody of Michel, who was extradited from UAE earlier this month over money laundering charges in the VVIP chopper scam, the Enforcement Directorate produced him before the Patiala House court on Saturday where it said that the accused "has taken the name of Mrs Gandhi but in what reference can't be said right now."

The deal to acquire 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers from Italy-based Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland was initialled in 2010 but was scrapped on January 1,  2014  over the alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks by it for securing the deal. Christian Michel, a British businessman accused of receiving kickbacks for the chopper deal, was extradited to India from the UAE on December 4.

The court had given last week ED the custody of Michel and extended it further today by 7 days.

Arguing for his custody, the agency said, "We need to decipher who the “big man” referred to as “R” is in the communication between Christian Michel and other people. We need to confront Michel with other people to decipher who “the big man” or “R” is."

Michel has also spoken about “the son of the Italian lady” and how he is going to become the “next prime minister of the country, the agency told the court.

He has identified how HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) was removed from the AgustaWestland chopper deal which was offered to Tata instead, the court was told.

ED also sought to ban Michel's lawyer's access to him alleging that he was being tutored from outside.

Michel’s lawyer Aljo K Joseph said in the court that the accused tried had a query regarding something and how legal response needed to be given.

"He tried to give us something, we didn’t see what it was, it was immediately pointed out that he was slipping us a paper&paper was taken away," Joseph said.