Former defence secretary & ex-CAG Shashi Kant Sharma and 4 IAF officers charge-sheeted
At last, after six years, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday has filed a supplementary charge sheet in the Rs.3,600-crore AgustaWestland scam against former Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma (S K Sharma) and four Indian Air Force personnel. Sharma was Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) from 2013 to 2017. Veteran IAS officer served in Defence Ministry for 10 years till 2013 and was Joint Secretary in charge of Air Force related matters during the corrupt AgustaWestland purchase scam took place.
The middleman Christian Michel’s handwritten notes named S K Sharma as recipients of bribe sharing. PGurus has published a report in this regard in 2016[1]. It is a well-known secret that S K Sharma was protected by many and CBI got sanctioned for prosecution after two years.
The CBI filed the charge sheet in a special court in Delhi after getting the nod from the Government to prosecute Sharma on Wednesday. The central probe agency also named the then Air Vice Marshal Jasbir Singh Panesar (now retired), deputy chief test pilot S A Kunte, the then Wing Commander Thomas Mathew, and Group Captain N Santosh as accused along with S K Sharma.
AgustaWestland bribery cases are regarding the 12 VVIP helicopters which were ineligible as its helicopters did not meet the 6,000-meter operational ceiling parameter set by the Indian Air Force. In the earlier charge sheet, the CBI has charged then IAF Chief S P Tyagi of recommending a reduction in the operational ceiling of the helicopters from 6,000 meters to 4,500 meters which brought AgustaWestland into the race.
The agency charged that Michel’s firms received about 42.27 million Euros, approximately seven percent of the deal amount, from the companies to swing the Rs.3,600-crore deal in their favor. Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her Secretary Ahmed Patel (now late) were directly caught in the bribe allegations and the Italian Court’s Judgment in many areas referred to her name as well as in the middleman Christian Michel’s notes. However Indian agencies have not questioned any political leaders in the bribery case.[2]
Reference:
[1] Role of the current CAG Shashi Kant Sharma in Agusta Westland deal – Apr 29, 2016, PGurus.com
[2] Why has CBI not questioned any politicians including Sonia Gandhi & Ahmed Patel in the AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper Scam? – Sep 21, 2020, PGurus.com
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