Chopper deal: Accused firm moves court for defreezing account

New Delhi: Aeromatrix Info Solutions private limited, an accused firm in the Rs 3600 crore VVIP helicopter deal scam, has moved a Delhi court seeking defreezing of its bank account for paying salaries to its employees. The Chandigarh-based firm, in its petition, has said that CBI has frozen its bank account having around Rs 1.4 crore in it and they want money to pay their employees. Special CBI Judge Ravinder Kaur today directed the firm to furnish the details of the bank account and employees who are to be paid salary and fixed the matter for further hearing on April 20. CBI prosecutor VK Sharma opposed the plea of the company for defreezing of their bank account. Former IAF chief SP Tyagi has also been named as an accused by the CBI in the chopper deal. The former Air Chief, his cousins-- Sanjeev alias Julie, Rajeev alias Docsa and Sandeep, European middlemen Carlo Gerosa, Christian Michel and Guido Haschke are among 13 individuals named in the CBI FIR as accused.

Besides Aeromatrix, its CEO Praveen Bakshi is also an accused in the case. Legal advisor and former board member of accused firm IDS Infotech -- Gautam Khaitan and Bakshi had allegedly routed bribe money to the Tyagis, CBI had alleged. The CBI in its FIR has booked all the accused under the provisions of the IPC relating to cheating and criminal conspiracy and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Shashi Tyagi is the first Chief of the Indian Air Force to be named in a corruption or criminal case by the CBI. CBI has alleged that during his tenure as Air Chief, Tyagi and "with his approval" the Air Force "conceded to reduce the service ceiling for VVIP helicopters from 6000 meters to 4500 meters as mandatory to which it was opposing vehemently on the grounds of security constraints and other related reasons. PTI