Delhi HC Seeks Response From CBI And ED On Bail Plea By Christian Michel

Who is the accused

• Christian Michel is a British national who was arrested in 2018 after he was extradited from Dubai.
• He acted as a middleman in the illegal transactions of the Augusta Westland VVIP Chopper scam.

Background

• An estimated 2666 Crore loss was suffered by the exchequer in the deal for supply of VVIP choppers worth 556.262 million Euros.
• A chargesheet was then filed by the ED alleging Michel to have received 30 million Euros from Augusta Westland.

Grounds of Plea

• The grounds for plea were that his arrest was illegal.
• His liberty was deprived and is in contravention to the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
• The other accused were granted bail and Michel was held in custody since more than 2 years.
• The offences alleged are post amendment which cannot be made applicable on him.

Court’s Observation

• The Court rejected his bail plea stating there was no case for granting bail under medical grounds.
• After considering the facts and gravity of offence, he cannot be granted bail.
• He did not co-operate during investigation in India or in Italy.
• There is risk of him escaping and flying so he cannot be given the same treatment as the other accused.
• The judge asked for the response from CBI and Enforcement Directorate after hearing the bail plea in the Augusta Westland case.

What do you think of the VVIP Scam? Do you think denying bail to Michel is a violation of his rights under the mention provisions? Let us know in the comments below!