Supreme Court Delays Bail Hearing for Alleged Middleman in AgustaWestland Case

The Supreme Court postponed the bail hearing of Christian Michel James, a British national accused in the AgustaWestland corruption case, to February 18. James is one of three alleged middlemen involved in the Rs 3,600-crore scam. Previous bail pleas have been rejected due to unchanged circumstances.

The Supreme Court on Monday deferred the bail hearing of Christian Michel James, the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland corruption case, to February 18. This decision came after the CBI counsel requested additional time for proceedings.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta granted the three-week postponement, following the court's earlier notice to the CBI, which was asked to file its response within four weeks back on December 6. The case involves the procurement of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland.

James, extradited from Dubai in 2018, is currently challenging the Delhi High Court's order rejecting his bail last September. His bail has been denied several times due to lack of new circumstances. The CBI accuses James of causing significant financial loss to the exchequer, noting in their chargesheet a loss of 398.21 million euros from the 2010 chopper deal.

(With inputs from agencies.)