New Delhi: Indian officials will examine alleged middleman Guido Haschke in the AgustaWestland VVIP copter deal on December 13 in an Italian court, defence ministry sources said.
“After yesterday’s hearing, our lawyer has reserved the right to question the American-Swiss national Haschke,” a source said. During the “next hearing in the case on December 13 in a court in Milan, our lawyer will put questions to him”, another official claimed.
The Indian team had not questioned Haschke during the last hearing on Friday. This is the first time that India would get access to Mr Haschke.
According to reports from Italy, Haschke has claimed that six million euros were paid to Air Force officials and 8.4 million euros to the bureaucracy.
He claimed that politicians were also paid. The reports said that the money was part of a draft budget prepared by the middlemen on a paper for the deal in which the Air Force has been written as “AF” and politicians have been referred to as “pol”.
In the last hearing, Haschke had said that he had met former IAF Chief S.P. Tyagi six to seven times while recounting his role in the scam.
He also claimed that there was a plan to divide a commission of seven per cent of the worth of the deal with the three Tyagi brothers, cousins of Mr Tyagi.
The alleged middleman also recounted various meetings at multiple locations between him and his accomplices in the whole episode in Rome and Dubai.
During the hearing, Haschke, who was recently arrested by Italian authorities after being extradited by the Swiss, disclosed that he had kept aside seven per cent of the deal as his share and to pay the three Tyagi cousins.
