CBI questions former IAF chief SP Tyagi

New Delhi, May 2

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned former IAF chief SP Tyagi on Monday in connection with alleged corruption in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal.

Tyagi arrived at CBI’s headquarters at around 10 am for questioning.

The Milan Court of Appeals — equivalent of an Indian high Court — has given details of how alleged bribes were paid by helicopter-maker Finmeccanica and AgustaWestland to Indian officials through middlemen to clinch the deal.

The order mentions Tyagi several times.

“The decision to change mandatory service ceiling rule from 6000m to 4500m was taken in a meeting at IAF HQs on March 7, 2005,” sources in the agency said. 

“The CBI will probe whether change in service ceiling was then IAF chief SP Tyagi's decision or there was extraneous pressure,” they said. 

The CBI had registered a case against Tyagi and 13 others, including his cousins and European middlemen in the case.

The allegation against the former Air Chief was that he had reduced flying ceiling of the helicopter from 6,000m to 4,500m (15,000ft) so that AgustaWestland was included in the bids.

However, this decision was reportedly taken in consultation with the officials of SPG and the Prime Minister's Office, including then NSA MK Narayanan.

The CBI has alleged that the reduction of the service ceiling — maximum height at which a helicopter can perform normally — allowed the UK-based firm to get into the fray as otherwise its helicopters were not even qualified for submission of bids.

The CBI, which has received a copy of the Milan court order, has now prepared a fresh questionnaire to put to Tyagi.

Tyagi has any wrongdoing and has claimed that the decision to reduce the ceiling was taken by a group of senior officials.

The agency had already questioned Tyagi but this session is the first after the Italian court order.

His cousins have also been called by the agency. — Agencies