Delhi court issues fresh arrest warrant in UPA-era AgustaWestland case

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New Delhi: A local court here has issued a fresh non-bailable arrest warrant Christian Michel James, a British national and the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal case.

Besides the British national, the court also summoned M/s Media Exim Private Limited and its directors R K Nanda and J B Subramaniyam as accused.

The matter will further come up for hearing on January 7.

The accused are co-founders of the firm.

"There is a prima facie evidence against the accused," PTI quoted the court as saying.

The order comes after the government informed the court that the alleged middleman was out of India and pressed for an arrest warrant against him.

An open-ended non-bailable warrant does not carry a time limit for execution.

The Enforcement Directorate had earlier filed 1,300-page complaint in connection with the money laundering case.

India signed the contract to purchase 12 AgustaWestland choppers in February 2010. The choppers were planned to ferry VVIPs like the president and the PM, among others.

The controversy came to light in 2013. And the then Indian defence minister A.K. Antony ordered a probe into the contract.