Ratul Puri, accused of the INR 3600 crore Augusta Westland VVIP Chopper scam, was granted bail by Special Judge Arvind Kumar on one personal bond of INR 5 lakhs and two INR 5 lakh sureties.
Crux of the Matter
Puri was insisted by the court to not coerce any witnesses or tamper any evidence. He cannot also leave India without the court’s permission.
Enforcement Directorate’s Counsels opposed the bail plea citing Puri’s actions of burning important documents and coercing witnesses to change statements. The Counsels also alleged Puri of influencing approver Rajiv Saxena.
The court rejected ED’s opposition and said that Puri was a family man. The court also stated that he had given the necessary testimonies and joined investigation for long hours and therefore had little chances of tampering.
Letters Rogatory have been sent to other accused who are in foreign countries and the case’s investigation is still going on, said the court.
Curiopedia
AugustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, the Indian helicopter bribery scandal, refers to a multimillion-dollar corruption case in India, wherein money was paid to middlemen and Indian officials in 2006 and 2007 to purchase helicopters for high level politicians. As per the CBI, this amounted to ₹2.5 billion (US$36 million), transferred through bank accounts in the UK and UAE. More Info
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