Delhi High Court Denies Bail to Christian Michel in AgustaWestland Chopper Scam
The Delhi High Court has rejected the bail plea of Christian Michel James, a British national accused of being the middleman in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland chopper scam. Michel sought regular bail in the case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which involves the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters for the Indian government.
While his plea for regular bail in the CBI case has been rejected, Michel’s bail plea in a related Enforcement Directorate (ED) case is pending before the Delhi High Court. The court has rescheduled the hearing for arguments in that case to November 18, 2024. The ED case involves money laundering charges linked to the bribes allegedly paid during the helicopter deal.
Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma noted that there was no significant change in circumstances or new grounds that would justify reconsidering the bail. Earlier, the trial court had also rejected his bail plea, citing the serious nature of the allegations against him.
Michel was arrested in Dubai following the issuance of Non-Bailable Warrants (NBWs) in 2015 and a subsequent Red Corner Notice. He was extradited to India on December 4, 2018. The trial court pointed out that Michel had not voluntarily appeared before the court or cooperated with the investigation, making him a flight risk.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), represented by Senior Advocate DP Singh, expressed concerns that if Michel were granted bail, he could potentially influence witnesses and tamper with evidence due to his high-level connections. The Supreme Court had also previously rejected Michel’s bail plea in the cases lodged by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Despite concerns over his long pre-trial detention, both the lower courts and the apex court have consistently denied his bail applications.
Doubts Revealed
Delhi High Court -: The Delhi High Court is a big court in Delhi, India, where important legal cases are decided.
Bail -: Bail is when someone who is in jail is allowed to go home while they wait for their trial, but they have to promise to come back to court.
Christian Michel -: Christian Michel is a person from Britain who is accused of doing something wrong in a big helicopter deal in India.
AgustaWestland Chopper Scam -: This is a big case where people are accused of cheating and taking money in a deal to buy helicopters for India.
British national -: A British national is someone who is from the country of Britain.
Middleman -: A middleman is a person who helps two other people or groups make a deal or agreement.
Rs 3,600-crore -: This means 3,600 crore rupees, which is a very large amount of money in India.
Money laundering -: Money laundering is when people try to hide where money really came from, usually because it was earned in a bad way.
Extradited -: Extradited means that one country sends a person back to another country where they are wanted for a crime.
Custody -: Custody means being kept in jail or under the control of the police.