Court Seeks Conduct Report of AgustaWestland Middleman

A Delhi court has requested a report on the conduct of Christian Michel James, a purported middleman in the AgustaWestland case, during his time in jail. The court has directed the prison authorities to submit the report by March 18, amid ongoing investigations involving hefty financial losses due to this defense deal.

A Delhi court on Wednesday sought a conduct report on Christian Michel James, the alleged middleman embroiled in the AgustaWestland case, currently incarcerated. Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate and Tihar jail authorities, directing a consolidated conduct report by March 18.

The court's directive comes in response to James's plea for the report, as he faces charges involving the controversial AgustaWestland chopper deal. Extradited from Dubai in 2018, James's case is part of a larger investigation that includes two other alleged facilitators.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleges a financial damage of 398.21 million euros to the exchequer from this defense arrangement, sealed on February 8, 2010. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has charged James with receiving 30 million euros in illicit benefits from the deal.