Amid the latest regular revelations in the deal of Agusta Westland, now it has been decided that a two-member team of the CBI is all set up to go to Italy for probing the alleged kickbacks paid by Italian firm Finmeccanica to clinch the $750 million/ Rs.3,600 crore deal for 12 VVIP helicopters.
According to sources, the team will have a senior Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer and a law officer. They are likely to go to Italy within a week.
According to CBI sources, it had received some documents pertaining to the case from the defence ministry Friday but was yet to register preliminary enquiry because it had to confirm the allegations of graft against Indian nationals and alleged kickbacks paid by the Italian firm.
In view with the gravity of the case, the agency needs some more ground work for which a team plans to go to Italy.
The CBI team had Thursday asked ministry officials to provide its files related to any sort of internal enquiry undertaken by it in connection with alleged corruption in the February 2010 deal to acquire 12 AW-101 helicopters from Finmeccanica's subsidiary AgustaWestland.
It is noted that the helicopters were for IAF's elite Communication Squadron, which ferries the president, the prime minister and other VVIPs, they said.
Earlier Italian agencies had arrested Finmeccanica chief executive officer (CEO) Giuseppe Orsi for alleged corruption to seal the deal.
Meanwhile some sources have been saying that Italy court has been refused to submit the related documents to India.
(With inputs from IANS)
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