Middlemen met SP Tyagi six times: Italian prosecutors
NEW DELHI: Middlemen, girlfriends, family connections and of course hard cash — AgustaWestland representatives stopped at nothing to reach former air chief SP Tyagi and swing the chopper deal in the company’s favour, documents filed by Italian prosecutors say.
The investigation report quotes a key middleman asserting that he met Tyagi “six to seven times”, including meetings at the offices of the former air chief ’s cousins and at the Bangalore airshow when Tyagi was still in office.
This contradicts Tyagi’s claim that he met a middleman just once — and that too after he retired. The former air chief, who has also denied receiving a bribe to push the Rs3,760crore VVIP chopper deal, did not respond to phone calls and text messages.
His cousins — Julie, Dosca and Sandeep — have been identified by the Italian prosecutors as the key go-betweens who helped Finmeccanica win the contract to supply 12 helicopters to the Indian Air Force. AgustaWestland is a unit of defence group Finmeccanica.
A sum of around Rs70 lakh was paid in bribe to the “Tyagi family”, the prosecutors have said. The remaining money was transferred through a service contract facilitated by a company identified as IDS India.
Conversations between middlemen — transcribed in the prosecution’s documents submitted to the court — indicate that their girlfriends were involved as they tried to liaise with the Tyagi cousins, especially Julie, who was given the money. “The money was put in the hands of Julie in cash during frequent trips to India,” a middleman identified by the prosecutors only as ADR is quoted as saying. “The agreement was with the Tyagi family but the money was handed over only to Julie.”
The “relationship” between the Tyagis and the go-betweens used by AgustaWestland started in 2001, when Carlo Gerosa – one of the middlemen – met Julie at a wedding in Lugano, Italy. It was in 2000-2001 that the IAF talked about the need for the VVIP choppers.
The documents suggest that when AgustaWestland felt that the contours of the tender for the VVIP choppers would rule them out as their helicopters couldn’t fly at the height (18,000 ft) initially stipulated by the IAF, the company turned to Gerosa and his boss, Ralph Haschkhe, who knew the Tyagi cousins.
Between 2005 and 2007, the middlemen met SP Tyagi at least six times: twice at the offices of his cousins, and at least once at the Bangalore air show which is held every two years. “He was still in uniform and came to visit the Finmeccanica booth,” ADR is quoted as saying.
NAMES THAT HAVE SURFACED SO FAR
14 Feb 2013, Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
FORMER AIR CHIEF SP TYAGI
Middlemen Ralph Haschke Guido and Carlo Gerosa allegedly got the tender modified by Tyagi to get the chopper's flight ceiling requirement reduced from 18,000 feet to 15,000 feet. Tyagi refutes charges
SANDEEP, JULIE and DOSCA
Cousins of Tyagi. They were in contact with Haschke and his associates and allegedly received Euro 100,000 from Haschke and Gerosa
RALPH HASCHKE GUIDO
Alleged middleman and former consultant to Finmeccanica group. Lives in Switzerland
CARLO GEROSA
Haschke’s business partner. Played a key role in swinging the deal. His conversations with Haschke form part of the Italian probe report
CHRISTIAN MICHEL
He was Haschke’s assistant to facilitate business for AgustaWestland, especially the VVIP helicopter deal
COURTESY:
14 Feb 2013
Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
Jayanth Jacob, Rahul Singh and Charu Sudan Kasturi letters@hindustantimes.com
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
NEW DELHI: Middlemen, girlfriends, family connections and of course hard cash — AgustaWestland representatives stopped at nothing to reach former air chief SP Tyagi and swing the chopper deal in the company’s favour, documents filed by Italian prosecutors say.
The investigation report quotes a key middleman asserting that he met Tyagi “six to seven times”, including meetings at the offices of the former air chief ’s cousins and at the Bangalore airshow when Tyagi was still in office.
This contradicts Tyagi’s claim that he met a middleman just once — and that too after he retired. The former air chief, who has also denied receiving a bribe to push the Rs3,760crore VVIP chopper deal, did not respond to phone calls and text messages.
His cousins — Julie, Dosca and Sandeep — have been identified by the Italian prosecutors as the key go-betweens who helped Finmeccanica win the contract to supply 12 helicopters to the Indian Air Force. AgustaWestland is a unit of defence group Finmeccanica.
A sum of around Rs70 lakh was paid in bribe to the “Tyagi family”, the prosecutors have said. The remaining money was transferred through a service contract facilitated by a company identified as IDS India.
Conversations between middlemen — transcribed in the prosecution’s documents submitted to the court — indicate that their girlfriends were involved as they tried to liaise with the Tyagi cousins, especially Julie, who was given the money. “The money was put in the hands of Julie in cash during frequent trips to India,” a middleman identified by the prosecutors only as ADR is quoted as saying. “The agreement was with the Tyagi family but the money was handed over only to Julie.”
The “relationship” between the Tyagis and the go-betweens used by AgustaWestland started in 2001, when Carlo Gerosa – one of the middlemen – met Julie at a wedding in Lugano, Italy. It was in 2000-2001 that the IAF talked about the need for the VVIP choppers.
The documents suggest that when AgustaWestland felt that the contours of the tender for the VVIP choppers would rule them out as their helicopters couldn’t fly at the height (18,000 ft) initially stipulated by the IAF, the company turned to Gerosa and his boss, Ralph Haschkhe, who knew the Tyagi cousins.
Between 2005 and 2007, the middlemen met SP Tyagi at least six times: twice at the offices of his cousins, and at least once at the Bangalore air show which is held every two years. “He was still in uniform and came to visit the Finmeccanica booth,” ADR is quoted as saying.
NAMES THAT HAVE SURFACED SO FAR
14 Feb 2013, Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
FORMER AIR CHIEF SP TYAGI
Middlemen Ralph Haschke Guido and Carlo Gerosa allegedly got the tender modified by Tyagi to get the chopper's flight ceiling requirement reduced from 18,000 feet to 15,000 feet. Tyagi refutes charges
SANDEEP, JULIE and DOSCA
Cousins of Tyagi. They were in contact with Haschke and his associates and allegedly received Euro 100,000 from Haschke and Gerosa
RALPH HASCHKE GUIDO
Alleged middleman and former consultant to Finmeccanica group. Lives in Switzerland
CARLO GEROSA
Haschke’s business partner. Played a key role in swinging the deal. His conversations with Haschke form part of the Italian probe report
CHRISTIAN MICHEL
He was Haschke’s assistant to facilitate business for AgustaWestland, especially the VVIP helicopter deal
COURTESY:
14 Feb 2013
Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
Jayanth Jacob, Rahul Singh and Charu Sudan Kasturi letters@hindustantimes.com
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
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