Agusta Westland Chopper SCAM: CAG finalizes audit report

New Delhi: Even before the UPA government could put out the fire over its alleged interference in the Coalgate investigation, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has come out with another report, scrutinizing the controversial Rs 3,500 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal.

Sources said CAG Vinod Rai on Monday signed the final audit report on the purchase of 12 VVIP choppers from AgustaWestland, the UK-based subsidiary of Italian conglomerate Finmeccanica, and sent it to the President with a copy to the defence ministry for its tabling in the ongoing budget session. The scrutiny of the deal is part of CAG’s compliance audit of the Indian Air Force till 2012.

Sources said the federal auditor has looked into all allegations of irregularities in the deal in which an independent investigation in Italy alleged that payoffs of more than Rs 350 crore were made to some middlemen, including Indians.
Courtesy:
Pradeep Thakur TNN
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