Co-accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP copter scam Rajiv Saxena is likely to turn an approver in a moneylaundering case under probe by the Enforcement Directorate.
The move is expected to help the prosecution in unearthing the larger conspiracy and nailing other accused persons in the case, including names of politicians who are suspected to be beneficiary of the ‘proceeds of crime’.
“Rajiv Saxena is a close aide of the prime accused in the case Christian Michel and has been operating a dozen a bank accounts in different Swiss banks with the slush money generated from the vexed copter deal. Saxena knew about the bribes that were paid to Indians and the shell companies created to route the bribe money in the AgustaWestland case. He is likely to turn approver and may reveal significant details on the role of Michel in case,” said an ED official.
Michel, alleged British middleman in the Rs 3,600 crore chopper deal was extradited by UAE authorities to India in December last year and is presently undergoing judicial custody. Saxena was picked up by Dubai authorities last month in connection with the money laundering case relating to the copter deal and deported to India.
ED is negotiating with Rajiv Saxena to turn a witness in the case, said an agency source.
“The ED suspects that Saxena has information on the bribe that was paid to certain politicians in India, besides officials of the Indian Air Force and bureaucrats,” said another official.
The agency on Wednesday did not oppose Saxena’s bail plea in a Delhi court provided he does not leave Delhi.
Special Judge Arvind Kumar, who on Tuesday sent Saxena to jail till February 18, said he will hear the matter after AIIMS submits the report on Saxena’s health.
Saxena sought bail on medical grounds stating that he was suffering from a “heart disease” and “advanced-stage leukaemia” (blood cancer).
“The present application is being filed in grave urgency, keeping in mind the medical condition of the applicant (Saxena), as any further custody will have grave and irreparable damage on his medical condition, which is fragile, and there is likelihood of contracting other diseases because of his low immunity level,” the bail plea stated.
While sending Saxena to judicial custody for two days in its order on Tuesday, the court had directed Tihar jail authorities to take him to All India Institute of Medical Sciences for a medical check-up.
Saxena, who was in ED’s custody since January 31 after his deportation from Dubai before being sent to judicial custody on Tuesday, said in his plea that when all the other accused in the case, including Gautam Khaitan, Ritu Khaitan, S P Tyagi, and others were out on bail, there could be “no justification” to deny him the same relief.
Since his passport is with ED, there was no likelihood of him absconding, the plea added.
Saxena, a Dubai-based businessman, is one of the accused named in the chargesheet filed by ED in the AgustaWestland case.
Maintaining that AgustaWestland had paid 58 million euros as kickbacks through two Tunisia-based firms, the ED has alleged that “these companies further siphoned off the said money in the name of consultancy contracts to M/s Interstellar Technologies Limited, Mauritius and others, which were further transferred to M/s UHY Saxena and M/s Matrix Holdings Ltd, Dubai and others”.
It was alleged by the probe agency that the two Dubai-based firms were the entities “through which the proceeds of crime have been routed and further layered and integrated in buying the immovable properties/shares, among others”.
