AgustaWestland chopper deal: Finmeccanica assures relevant papers, assistance to CBI team

Milan: Parliament is set to discuss the AgustaWestland chopper deal after March 4 under Rule 193, which does not entail voting. Meanwhile, in the latest development concerning the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team, which went as part of probe to Italy, the top management of Finmeccanica has assured assistance and relevant papers.

During the meeting, CBI officials requested the Italian firm to handover the report of its internal probe to them so that it could be examined in India and a proper investigation could be conducted, official sources said.

According to sources, the joint team of the CBI and Defence Ministry officials was assured of complete assistance and that the relevant papers would be handed over once the board of the company met.

The company assured the Indian team that all relevant papers would be shared after the meeting of its board.

The latest development comes as a major relief for the Indian team as the Italian investigators had earlier refused to share details of the probe with them.

The CBI team has, meanwhile, sought an appointment with the officials of the Italian Foreign Ministry to explore the possibility of securing documents through the United Nations Convention for Anti-Corruption.

The CBI team, despite its attempt, was also not able to meet the prosecution. However, they were able to meet the judge in the case, and following the meeting, they said that they could not share the details at this stage.

In the next step as part of the probe into the tainted chopper deal, the CBI is slated to interrogate Former Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi. The interrogation, which is expected to be a closed one, is expected to take place next week.

(With Additional Inputs from PTI)

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