AgustaWestland deal: Court rejects middleman Christian Michel’s bail pleas

By LE Desk

New Delhi, June 18, 2021: A Delhi court today dismissed the bail application of Christian Michel, a key accused in the 3,700 crore VVIP chopper scam in both CBI and Enforcement Directorate cases.

Special CBI judge Arvind Kumar dismissed the bail applications stating “no case is made out for grant of bail on medical grounds”, The Indian Express reported. The court had perused Michel’s medical status report filed by the jail authorities and stated that Michele was getting proper treatment inside the jail.

On a letter written by the British High Commission to take into stock Michel’s medical condition while deciding the bail application, the court said “such direct communication from a third party is not permissible and if anyone has any grievance or wants to attend court proceedings, he may move appropriate application…”

Michel was represented by his lawyers, Aljo K Joseph, Sriram Parakkat and Vishnu Shankar, reported The Indian Express.

In his bail application, Michel had asserted that his detention, deportation and custody are illegal and that he was already acquitted by courts in Italy on similar charges.

Michel had also claimed that he raised the issue of his alleged illegal detention before the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention which opined that his “deprivation of liberty” was in “contravention of articles 3, 9, 10 and 11 (1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 9 (3); 10 (1); and 14 (1)–(2) and (3) (b)–(d) and (g) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”.

On the observations made by the UNHRC WGAD the court said that it was “not a judicial body and it appears that it did not have complete material before it was forming an opinion”.

Further, Michel pointed out that he has undergone almost 600 hours of custodial interrogation by both the investigating agencies, and has spent more than 2 year and 4 months in Indian jail.