VVIP Chopper Scam: Ratul Puri Got Rs 16 Crore As Kickbacks From Middlemen, ED Says
Enforcement Directorate claims Ratul Puri received “proceeds of crime” amounting to $1,240,890 from Christian Michel’s companies.
Ratul Puri, nephew of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, is alleged to have received kickbacks of about Rs 16 crore from firms linked to middlemen involved the VVIP choppers scam, the Enforcement Directorate said in its chargesheet on Saturday.
The central investigating agency filed its sixth supplementary prosecution complaint in the case and named Puri and his alleged associate Jaspreet Ahuja.
"Investigations revealed that kickbacks from AgustaWestland amounting to €70 million was routed through middlemen Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke, who have received about €28 million, and Christian Michel James (another middleman in the case), who had received about €42 million, to influence the contract for the supply of 12 VVIP helicopters," the ED said in a statement.
Puri received "proceeds of crime" amounting to €704,134.57 and $150,000 from Interstellar Technologies Ltd. in his foreign entities, ED said. "The same money was layered through various companies in foreign jurisdictions and then brought into India and invested in Hindustan Power Group, whose chairman is Puri.”
The ED has also claimed that Puri also received "proceeds of crime" amounting to $1,240,890 from Michel's companies, Global Services FZE and Globe Oil FZE, through the companies of Rajiv Saxena which were used for the benefit of Puri. The conversion of the foreign currencies alleged to have been received by Puri comes to about Rs 16 crore.
Both Michel and Saxena have been deported by Indian probe agencies from Dubai as part of the probe into the VVIP chopper scam. The chargesheet said Ahuja "assisted" Puri in laundering the proceeds of crime through various jurisdictions by creating, maintaining and managing the foreign companies which belonged to Puri.
"Both have known each other since long," the ED said.
A court has taken cognisance of the chargesheet and issued summons for Dec. 18 to Ahuja and also sent Puri to judicial custody till the same date. The chargesheet was filed by the agency before the court of Special Judge Arvind Kumar in New Delhi.
The ED arrested Puri on Sept. 4 and he is currently in judicial custody.
The money-laundering case was lodged following alleged irregularities in the purchase of 12 VVIP choppers from Italy-based Finmeccanica's British subsidiary, AgustaWestland.