Finnmeccanica

Chopper deal: Antony says no need for him to resign

After External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, Defence Minister AK Antony also denied any differences within the government over the AgustaWestland chopper deal. "There is no question of lack of co-ordination with the MEA," Antony said. ...  

Khurshid denies differences in UPA on scrapping chopper deal

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has denied any differences within the government on the question of scrapping the AgustaWestland deal. "I have not expressed any reservation at all. I only said whatever decision taken has to be a collective decision," Khurshid said. ...  

CBI team leaves for Italy to probe Italian chopper deal

A Central Bureau of Investigation team has left for Italy to probe the allegations of kickbacks in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland chopper deal. The team is expected to meet Italian prosecutors to ascertain details of the case. ...  

Chopper deal: In tapped phone call, middleman says destroyed evidence

As the Central Bureau of Investigation team leaves for Italy to probe the AgustaWestland chopper deal, CNN-IBN has accessed details of phone conversations between between the two Italian middlemen Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. The tapped phone conversations also reveal how Haschke claims he has destroyed all evidence of wrongdoing. ...  

PMO unhappy with cancelling Italian chopper deal: sources

The government is divided on whether to cancel the AgustaWestland chopper deal or not. Sources say the Prime Minister's Office is unhappy with the proposal to cancel the chopper deal. This comes amidst reports that the Defence Minister was inclined to cancel the deal in view of the bribery allegations against former Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi. ...  

Chopper deal: Key middlemen not traceable

From Guido Haschke to Carlos Gerosa, key middlemen in the AgustaWestland chopper deal seem to have gone underground. CNN-IBN has been trying to get in touch with the key middlemen, but they have been untraceable. Haschke's neighbours told CNN-IBN that he has moved from his current address or is taken from there. They did not have a forward contact address. ...  

Rome: Finnmeccanica in troubled waters over AgustaWestland chopper deal

Finnmeccanica has been served a notice by the Indian government to showcause why the helicopter deal with India should not be scrapped in the light of strong allegations of corruption. ...

Chopper deal: 3 key players enjoy Constitutional immunity

Even as the UPA government's factsheet on the AgustaWestland helicopter deal can bring embarrassment for the Congress, three key decision makers who were involved in finalising the deal including President Pranab Mukherjee enjoy Constitutional immunity. The Defence Ministry's factsheet categorically states that the tender was finalised in 2005 - a time when President Pranab was the defence minister, SP Tyagi was Air Force Chief, Bharat Vir Wanchoo was SPG Chief...  

Ousted Finnmeccanica CEO to be quizzed over chopper deal

Ousted Finnmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi who is being held in jail but has not been charged, faces allegations of paying bribes to win contract for the company's AgustaWestland unit to supply helicopters for use by Indian VVIPs. ...

Italian PM assures action in AgustaWestland chopper deal

There is a political war of words in Italy. Taking a jibe at Finnmeccanica, former premier Silvio Berlusconi said that bribes are necessary for business. But facing the heat, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has assured to get to the bottom of the deal. ...

Italian chopper deal: UPA factsheet draws Pranab into the row

The UPA government's factsheet could prove to be more embarrassing for itself and President Pranab Mukherjee during whose stint as the defence minister the AgustaWestland deal was cleared. The Defence Ministry's factsheet categorically states that the tender was finalised in 2005 during Pranab Mukherjee's stint as the Defence Minister. ...  

Jaswant Singh defends NDA's 2003 decision to change chopper deal norms

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Defence Minister Jaswant Singh has defended the NDA government's decision to change the chopper deal norms in 2003, saying it was taken for purely professional reasons. "That's true that technical parameters were changed during that time. I don't see why there is so much excitement as there was a plausible and good reason. The original proposal emerged in 2000 and the Air Force...  

Ex-IAF chief denies receiving PMO involvement in chopper deal

Former Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy has denied receiving any letter from the Prime Minister's Office in 2003 on the AgustaWestland chopper deal. "I don't think there was any request for proposal or anything that started in my time. We have been working on VVIP helicopters since 1993," S Krishnaswamy said. ...