The CBI is planning to issue “Look Out Notices” — a restraint order curbing departure from the country — against those Indians who have been named in the PE, sources said. The agency will also scrutinise call details of all Indians who have been named in the PE, sources added. This is the second instance when a former services chief has been named in a CBI inquiry.
Former Admiral Sushil Kumar was named in a CBI case to probe alleged kickback in purchase of Barak missiles in early 2000.
“The agency will investigate allegations that some middlemen influenced the deal in favour of the Italian company. There are reports that Italian company Finmeccanica paid a commission of seven million Euros to the middlemen out of which huge sums were transferred to seven Indian nationals through Tunisia and Mauritius”, sources said. The money was sent in the garb of engineering contracts with two Indian companies — IDS Infotech and Aeromatrix, sources said adding that the CBI is also taking assistance of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in this regard.
In February 2010, India had inked the `3,600 crore deal to acquire the 12 three-engine AW-101 helicopters from AgustaWestland for IAF’s elite Communication Squadron, which ferries the President, PM and other VVIPs. There are allegations that certain specifications in the contract were changed during Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi’s tenure as the IAF chief. And Italian probe has also talked about Mr Tyagi’s meeting with middleman Gerosa Carlo, a swiss, sources said.