AgustaWestland case: Supreme Court rejects plea of Christian Michel
The Supreme Court on Thursday (May 29. 2025) dismissed a plea filed by alleged middleman Christian Michel James in the ₹3,600-crore AgustaWestland money laundering case, who had challenged the Delhi High Court's order directing him to furnish details of the address where he intended to reside post-release on bail in the ₹3,600-crore AgustaWestland money laundering case.
Also read: Christian Michel tells court he may get 'poisoned in jail'
James, who is alleged to be a middleman in the case, had challenged the May 22 order of the High Court which modified his bail conditions.
The plea came up for hearing before a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sanjay Kumar.
"We granted you bail and you don't even want to fulfil a condition of providing a local address," the Bench told the counsel appearing for James.
The lawyer, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), said the high court's order was in favour of James.
"Then what is his problem?" the Bench asked.
"Which is the condition which is hurting you?" the Bench asked the lawyer appearing for James, who referred to certain paragraphs of the High Court order.
He said the High Court has directed James to furnish the details of his residential address where he intends to reside post-release.
The counsel argued the high court has also said that before being released from jail, the said address will be verified by the trial court through the ED.
"I (James) have been inside Tihar Jail for last six years and six months. I don't have any local address," the counsel said, adding that James was a British national. He said James cannot fulfil this condition unless he comes out of jail.
The Bench observed if the petitioner could arrange to pursue his matter in courts, he must have some contacts.
"You give that address," Justice Nath said.
His counsel said James has an address in the United Kingdom.
The Bench then asked who was giving instructions to lawyers appearing for James in the matter.
When his lawyer said that instructions were given by James' family, the Bench observed, "Dismissed".
"You have a permanent address inside the Tihar jail. You stay there only. What to do," the Bench said.
His counsel said that address could be provided post-release from jail and not pre-release.
"Why not?" the Bench asked, adding if his family can give instructions to the lawyers, they can take up this issue also.
When the counsel said assistance has been extended by the British High Commission, the Bench said then let the High Commission take care of it.
"This is all an excuse," the Bench said, while refusing to entertain the plea.
Considering his prolonged incarceration, his status as a foreign national with no roots in India, and his inability to arrange for a local surety, the High Court had modified the bail condition imposed earlier.
It had said instead of the requirement to furnish a personal bond and surety bond of Rs five lakh each, James shall now furnish a personal bond of Rs five lakh along with a cash surety in the enhanced sum of ₹10 lakh.
Further, the High Court had also modified the bail condition to surrender his passport, which had already expired, before the trial court to the extent that he might be released on bail without depositing his passport "immediately".
"However, the FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office) shall ensure that the applicant does not leave the country, and the British High Commission (or the authority concerned issuing the applicant's passport) shall ensure that the applicant's fresh passport, whenever the same is ready, is not handed over to the applicant, but directly deposited with the trial court under intimation to this court," the High Court had said.
On March 4, the High Court had granted bail to James in the ED case while the Supreme Court had granted him reprieve in a related CBI case on February 18.
The probe agencies have alleged irregularities in the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from Italian manufacturing company AgustaWestland.
James was extradited from Dubai in December 2018 and was subsequently arrested by the CBI and the ED.
He is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the case and the other two are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.
The CBI, in its chargesheet, claimed an estimated loss of 398.21 million euros (about ₹2,666 crore) to the exchequer due to the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010, for the supply of VVIP choppers worth 556.262 million euros.
The ED chargesheet filed against James in June 2016 alleged he received 30 million euros (about ₹225 crore) from AgustaWestland.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Rs 2,000 crore classroom ‘scam' case: Manish Sisodia says won't appear before ACB today
AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who was summoned for questioning by the Delhi Government's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) Monday morning in connection with the alleged corruption to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore in the construction of classrooms in government schools when the party was in power, said he would not be able to do so. ACB officials said Sisodia conveyed through his counsel that he is preoccupied with other programmes, and will not be able to appear before them at 11 am. The Aam Aadmi Party leader's counsel also said he will file a reply via email. The officials said that once he sends his reply, they will see whether a summons will be issued again. The AAP also said in a statement, 'Manish Sisodia will not be going to ACB on Monday due to a pre-scheduled programme. His lawyer has sent a reply on his behalf'. ACB issued summonses to former AAP ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain on May 3 in connection with the case. Jain was questioned last Friday for over five hours. On April 30, ACB registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the two AAP leaders in connection with alleged corruption in the construction of 12,748 classrooms or semi-permanent structures during the previous AAP government's tenure. Sisodia held the finance and education portfolios in the AAP government, and Jain was the minister of health, industries, power, home, urban development, and the Public Works Department (PWD). Madhur Verma, Joint Commissioner of Police, who heads the ACB, earlier confirmed the FIR's registration. BJP leaders Kapil Mishra, Harish Khurana, and Neelkant Bakshi filed a complaint in 2019 alleging financial irregularities in the construction of classrooms in Delhi Government schools in three zones. They said the construction cost per room stood at approximately Rs 24.86 lakh, exponentially higher than the roughly Rs 5 lakh it takes for similar constructions in Delhi. The BJP leaders also alleged that the project was awarded to 34 contractors, most of whom were associated with the AAP. According to ACB officials, 12,748 semi-permanent structures were supposed to be built for Rs 1,200 per square feet, but the cost shot up to around Rs 2,292 per sq ft during construction. ACB is probing the cost escalation.
NDTV
29 minutes ago
- NDTV
Who Is Sashidhar Jagdishan? HDFC CEO And MD Facing Financial Fraud Allegations
An FIR has been filed against HDFC Bank's Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sashidhar Jagdishan over his alleged involvement in a series of financial frauds. The Lilavati Hospital has called for punitive action against the HDFC boss, who allegedly accepted money from the father of a trust member, with the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical (LKKM) Trust producing handwritten diary entries as evidence. The Trust has alleged that one of its former members paid Mr Jagdishan Rs 2.05 crore with the intent of harassing the father of a current Trust member. The Trust said its actions were based on a May 30 order from the Mumbai Magistrate Court, which directed the Bandra police to file an FIR against Mr Jagdishan and seven others. HDFC Bank has come out in support of its top executive, claiming that the allegations levelled were "baseless and malicious". The bank added that one of the Trust's trustees, Prashant Mehta, along with his family members, owe significant sums to the bank, which remain unpaid. "The Bank has obtained comprehensive legal advice and representation in this regard and it is committed to pursuing legal remedies and options to defend its MD & CEO's reputation. The Bank takes immense pride in the integrity and leadership of its MD & CEO," the bank stated. Who is Sashidhar Jagdishan? Mr Jagdishan took charge as the HDFC Bank CEO and MD in 2020, succeeding the bank's longest-serving CEO, Aditya Puri. He holds an undergraduate degree in physics from the University of Mumbai and a master's in economics of money, banking and finance from the University of Sheffield. He is also a Chartered Accountant, having earned his stripes from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Mr Jagdishan has been part of the private bank's setup since 1996, having joined the company as a manager in the finance division. He went on to become the finance head in 1999 and was subsequently promoted as the chief financial officer in 2008. He was named as the "strategic change agent" of the bank in 2019, a year before his eventual coronation as the top boss of the company. In 2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved his re-appointment for three years, extending his stay at the bank till October 26, 2026.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
30 minutes ago
- Business Standard
How ICICI Bank RM stole Rs 4.6 cr from customers - and what you must learn
In a shocking case of internal bank fraud, an ex-ICICI Bank relationship manager in Kota, Rajasthan, has been arrested for stealing Rs 4.58 crore from over 110 customer accounts — many of them senior citizens — over a period of nearly three years. The fraud, which went undetected for months, highlights the urgent need for personal finance vigilance, especially in the digital banking era. Such was the extent of her obsession with stock market trading that the 26-year-old Sakhi Gupta went to shocking lengths — allegedly siphoning off Rs 4.58 crore from unsuspecting customers, including even her own father-in-law. The funds were reportedly diverted into high-risk futures and options (F&O) trading, in a desperate bid to profit from speculative market movements. According to police, Gupta has been pilfering from more that 110 accounts belonging to 41 customers for around two years at the Kota branch. She allegedly invested this amount in the stock market and lost the majority of it. How did the fraud occur? According to police and internal bank investigations, the accused, Sakshi Gupta, misused her access to break customer FDs prematurely, create overdrafts, sanction loans, and reroute funds to her personal trading accounts. She allegedly: Broke 31 FDs worth Rs 1.34 crore without informing customers. By changing mobile numbers to relatives' lines, she prevented customers from receiving alerts and hiding transactions Stolen money was routed through a 'pool account' (one elderly customer's account with over ₹3 crore) before being transferred to her demat/trading accounts. All ₹4.58 crore were invested in F&O trades via apps like Zerodha and ICICI Direct, but she reportedly lost the entire amount How the scam unfolded: According to the police investigation, the relationship manager broke fixed deposits (FDs) prematurely, created overdraft facilities, and even took personal loans in the names of unsuspecting customers — all without their consent or knowledge. The fraudulent transactions spanned over months and were cleverly hidden using manipulated entries in the bank's internal systems. She exploited her access to ICICI Bank's Insta Kiosk and digital banking channels to carry out these unauthorized transactions, betraying the trust of both the bank and its customers. What's more worrying: she reportedly manipulated entries in ICICI Bank's internal software to cover her tracks, making it difficult for both customers and internal auditors to detect any red flags. The police also alleged that Gupta misused debit cards, PINs, and OTPs for these transactions, and even activated overdraft facilities on 40 accounts without consent. In addition to this, she permanently closed fixed deposits of 31 customers and funneled over Rs. 1.34 crore, while also taking a personal loan of Rs. 3.40 lakh. What Is a pool account, and why it matters? A pool account is typically used to consolidate funds from various sources. In this fraud: She collected money from broken FDs, overdrafts, and fake loans into one account. From there, funds were easily routed to her personal investment accounts. This minimized red flags, since transactions were less scattered and easier to manage. By centralizing transactions, she avoided the complexity and detection risks associated with moving money through 40+ accounts. Who were the victims? Most of the victims were elderly customers, many of whom relied on FDs as a source of post-retirement income. They remained unaware as alerts were rerouted and their bank accounts tampered with behind the scenes. A customer complaint about a missing FD triggered an internal audit by ICICI, leading to a branch manager filing an FIR on February 18, 2023, and her arrest in May 2025. What did ICICI Bank do? ICICI Bank filed an FIR and confirmed that all affected customers have been compensated. The bank has since strengthened internal controls, but the incident raises serious questions about employee oversight and customer protection. An ICICI Bank spokesperson, in a press note, said that the interest of costumes is most important and upon discovering the activities the bank immediately filed an FIR. "We have a zero-tolerance policy against any fraudulent activity,' they said, adding that the employee has been suspended and genuine claims of impacted customers have been settled. Key red flags: FDs were closed without OTPs being triggered. No transaction alerts were received by customers due to outdated contact details. Customers only realized something was wrong after significant sums were gone What this means for you? If you're a bank customer: Check your alerts: Ensure your mobile number and email are updated with your bank to receive all transaction notifications. Monitor FD and loan activity: Unexpected closure of FDs or creation of overdrafts should raise red flags. Review bank statements regularly, especially if you're a senior citizen or non-tech-savvy. Immediately report any suspicious changes (like mobile number alterations or OTP behavior) to your bank's fraud cell.
