VVIP chopper scam: Ex-IAF chief SP Tyagi had admitted to meeting middleman Haschke

Amid raging row over VVIP chopper scam, a report said on Thursday that former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi, during his interrogation in 2013, had admitted to Central Bureau of Investigation that he had met middleman Guido Ralph Haschke.

VVIP chopper scam: Ex-IAF chief SP Tyagi had admitted to meeting middleman Haschke
File pic

New Delhi: Amid the raging row over VVIP chopper scam, a report said on Thursday that former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi, during his interrogation in 2013, had admitted before the Central Bureau of Investigation that he had met middleman Guido Ralph Haschke.

According to a report published in The Times of India, a CBI official has claimed that Tyagi had told the investigating agency that he had met Haschke 5-6 times. Tyagi's cousins Julie, Docsa and Sanjeev Tyagi were also present during the meetings.

The report states that details of the AgustaWestland deal were discussed during the meetings. Notably, the middleman is alleged to have passed 20 mn euros as bribe for the contract to the ex-Air chief's cousins.

The 225-page judgement by the Milan Court of Appeals (an Italian court) says that there was "reasonable belief that corruption took place" in the 2010 VVIP helicopter deal and SP Tyagi was involved.

SP Tyagi was IAF chief from 2005-07 when VVIP choper deal was processed. However, he has denied involvement in any wrongdoings.

Meanwhile, the Parliament has been witnessing fireworks after the Bharatiya Janata Party raked up the VVIP chopper scandal in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha following the Italian court's reported observation that the UPA government showed "substantial disregard" in arriving at the full truth behind the multi-crore scam.

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