NEW DELHI, Dec 10 - A Delhi Court on Monday granted further 5-day remand of Christian Michel, the alleged middleman who has been chargesheeted in the graft-tainted AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, for his custodial interrogation by the CBI.
He was produced before Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar after the expiry of his five-day CBI remand.
The probe agency sought nine days further remand of Michel for his custodial interrogation saying he was not cooperating in the investigation of the case.
Michel�s counsel opposed the CBI plea for further custody saying it was not required as no incriminating evidence has been shown to him till now.
At the outset, Michel withdrew his earlier bail plea and filed fresh detailed bail application.
Michel, who is a citizen of the United Kingdom, was brought to India on the night of December 4, following his extradition by the UAE in connection with the case and later produced before the court which had allowed his five-day custodial interrogation by the CBI.
The court had asked the CBI to provide all relevant documents including the charge sheet to Michel.
Security was tightened at the Patiala House court complex hours before the production of Michel.
Around 15-20 personnel of the CRPF and 30 Delhi Police officials had been deputed in the court complex as well as outside several of its gates, said one of the police officials. The police force, included women officials.
Michel, 54, landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on a Gulfstream jet at 10.35 pm on December 4 after which he was arrested by the CBI in connection with the case.
Michel is one of the three middlemen being probed in the case, besides Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa, by the ED and the CBI. Both the agencies have notified an Interpol red corner notice (RCN) against him after the court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.
Michel has denied the charges.
The CBI has alleged there was an estimated loss of Euro 398.21 million (about Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer in the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010 for the supply of VVIP choppers worth Euro 556.262 million.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), in its charge sheet filed against Michel in June 2016, had alleged that he received Euro 30 million (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland.
The money was nothing but �kickbacks� paid by the firm to execute the 12 helicopter deal in favour of the firm in the �guise of� genuine transactions for performing multiple work contracts in the country, according to the charge sheet. � PTI
