Delhi High Court Seeks CBI and ED’s Stand on Christian Michel’s Bail Pleas

The Delhi High Court has asked for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) response to bail pleas filed by alleged middleman Christian Michel James in the AgustaWestland chopper scam cases. James, a British national extradited from Dubai in December 2018, is currently in judicial custody for his alleged role in the ₹3,600-crore scam. Justice Jyoti Singh directed the CBI and ED to file their status reports within three weeks, scheduling the next hearing for May 16.

Earlier, both the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court had rejected James’ bail applications. The alleged scam involves the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland, with the CBI alleging a loss of approximately ₹2,666 crore to the exchequer, and the ED alleging that James received around ₹225 crore from the deal. James, along with Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa, is among the three alleged middlemen being investigated in the case.