AgustaWestland case: Christian Michel not convicted, can't get remission, says Tihar

The Tihar jail authorities on Tuesday informed a Delhi court that Christian Michel James, an alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland case, was not entitled for any remission as he was not convicted yet.

The jail superintendent also informed special judge Sanjeev Aggarwal that no punishment was recorded during the custody of James, saying his conduct during the incarceration was "satisfactory".

The judge also sought a report in response to James' plea seeking six months of remission.

James, a British national, was extradited from Dubai, where he had spent four months in custody, on December 4, 2018.

Probe agencies reported irregularities in the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from Italian manufacturing company AgustaWestland.

He is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the case; the other two are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.

The CBI, in its chargesheet, claimed an estimated loss of 398.21 million euros (about Rs 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 that he received 30 million euros (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland.