New Delhi [India], May 22 : The Delhi High Court on Thursday modified the bail conditions for British national Christian Michel in the money laundering case connected to the AgustaWestland helicopter deal.
Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma's bench ruled that, given the overall circumstances, including Michel's extended incarceration, his status as a foreign national with no ties to India, and his inability to secure a local surety, the court found it appropriate to amend the earlier bail conditions. Instead of requiring both a personal bond and a surety bond of Rs 5,00,000 each, Michel must now submit a personal bond of Rs 5,00,000 along with an increased cash surety of Rs 10,00,000.
To ensure the applicant does not abscond while respecting his right to bail, the Court mandates that he deposit his passport with the Trial Court, attend the Directorate of Enforcement or report to the investigating officer every 15 days, and provide his residential address for verification. Any change in address must be promptly reported. These conditions ensure his presence throughout the trial, said the court.
Advocate Aljo K Joseph appeared for Christian James and stated that Christian James cannot meet the bail surety requirement since he lacks family or friends in India. He requests modifications to secure James' release, stating it's nearly impossible to find an Indian surety. James also seeks to change the conditions requiring him to surrender his passport.
Joseph explains that obtaining a UK passport from abroad takes 8 to 12 weeks, making immediate submission impossible. He urges both conditions to be modified for James' bail.
Christian James Michel, through a plea, requested the waiver of the bail condition mandating a surety of Rs 5 lakh. As a foreign national with no familial ties or significant connections in India, he has sought either a modification or removal of the requirement to provide an Indian surety.
The same bench on March 4, 2025, granted bail to Christian James Michel in the money laundering case. While granting bail, the high court directed him to provide a personal bond and a surety of Rs 5 lakh each, in addition to surrendering his passport to the trial court.
Through a plea, James further requested the revocation of the passport surrender condition, stating that his passport has expired and obtaining a new one would take an estimated 4 to 8 weeks. On February 18, the Supreme Court granted bail to Christian Michel James, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper scam, stating that "the trial may not be completed in the next 25 years at this pace." Michel was arrested and extradited on December 4, 2018, while the FIR was registered in 2013. The Rs 3,600-crore scam involves the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland.
James was extradited from Dubai in December 2018 and subsequently arrested by the CBI and the ED. He is one of the three alleged middlemen under investigation in the case, alongside Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. According to the CBI's chargesheet, the deal signed on February 8, 2010, for the supply of VVIP helicopters worth 556.262 million euros caused an estimated loss of 398.21 million euros (approximately Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer.
The ED's chargesheet filed against James in June 2016 alleged that he received 30 million euros (about Rs 225 crore) from AugustaWestland. The AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, during the Congress-led UPA Government and refers to a multimillion-dollar corruption case where money was allegedly paid to middlemen and Indian officials in 2006 and 2007 to purchase helicopters for high-level politicians. Following significant controversy and allegations of corruption, the Government of India ordered an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 12, 2013. Subsequently, the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in 2014.