DEFENCE MINISTRY MAY BLACKLIST 6 FIRMS LINKED TO ITALIAN HELICOPTER DEAL

February 13, 2013

Defence Minister A K Antony said that the CBI has been asked to give an early report on its probe into alleged helicopter deal.

Speaking at Asian security conference in New Delhi, he also said after the CBI submits its report on the alleged scam, government will take strict action against the guilty.

Replying on former Air Chief S P Tyagi’s alleged role in the VVIP chopper deal, Antony said, I have no information.

“We don’t want to jump the gun. We can get our money back even at this stage,” Antony said.

He asserted that corruption will not be tolerated in defence deal.

On the chopper deal, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said that everything will be done in accordance with the law.

On the Chopper deal, BJP said we will raise this issue in the Parliament and will not leave the matter.

Calling it a serious matter, CPM Leader D Raja has said that the matter should be thorough probed and all defence deal probed be made more transparent

Meanwhile, former IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi has refuted allegations that he was paid bribes to swing a Rs 3,600 crore deal for procuring 12 choppers from Italian firm Finmeccanica to ferry VVIPS.

“I am innocent. These allegations are totally baseless and I am denying them categorically. The deal was signed in 2010 whereas I retired in 2007 itself,” he said.

Asked if he had changed any specifications for the contract to favour Finmeccanica, Tyagi said the “staff qualitative requirements for the VVIP choppers were frozen in 2003, much before I assumed the office of Chief of Air Staff, and the IAF did not change any requirements after that.”

Asked about his relations with three alleged middlemen for the deal including one ‘former IAF officer Captain Tyagi’, the former Chief said he was his cousin but their relationship did not go beyond this.

Reports suggested that Italian investigators have alleged in a preliminary inquiry submitted in an Italian court that business conglomerate Finmeccanica bribed S P Tyagi when he was chief of the Indian Air Force to swing the controversial AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal in favour of the company.