CBI recovered documents that establish payment of at least 54 million of total 58 million by AgustaWestland to Michel and Haschke for further payments in India. The figure of 58 million was mentioned in an agreement prepared by Michel and Haschke in Dubai on May 8, 2011: Sources

NEW DELHI: Inching closer towards the Indians who were allegedly paid bribes in Rs 3,700 crore VVIP chopper scam, the CBI has recovered documents which establish payment of at least 54 million (Rs 431 crore according to current rates) of the total 58 million by AgustaWestland to Christian Michel and Guido Haschke for further payments in India.

The figure of 58 million was mentioned in an agreement prepared by Michel and Haschke in Dubai on May 8, 2011, sources said. The Dubai meeting was called to resolve a dispute between two sets of middlemen — Michel and “team” on one side and Haschke, Carlo Gerosa and Tyagi brothers, referred to as “family”, on the other.

Before this, the two sides had been sparring over Michel getting 42 million. Haschke, according to Italian documents accessed by CBI, wasn’t happy with Michel getting 42 million while they were getting only 30 million. They finally agreed upon 30 million for Michel and 28 million for Haschke and the others.

Michel and Haschke tried to first settle the matter in a meeting in Lugano on April 21, 2011, but it remained “inconclusive”. Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland, had put its foot down when it came to using Michel’s services as he was an old hand in the Indian defence market.

Sources said the Dubai agreement was a “post contract award service agreement” and most of the bribe money in the garb of consultancy services had already been paid by then by the Anglo-Italian firm to the “team” (Michel) and “family” (Haschke, Gerosa and Tyagis).

“This Dubai agreement is crucial evidence as it provides details of money agreed upon by two middlemen. We have recovered documents related to payments worth 22 million euros made to the ‘family’ and a little over 32 million euros to the ‘team’,” said an official, requesting anonymity.

The CBI has already connected some of the payments to Indians, including 24 million paid to Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan and companies linked to him.

In its chargesheet filed last year, the CBI had mentioned that former IAF chief S P Tyagi had bought 19 acres in Haryana in his name and in name of his family members for which Rs 1.49 crore was paid, out of which over Rs 49 lakh was in cash. Tyagi had not informed the IAF about this purchase. Subsequently, Tyagi had financial collaborations of 50% with his cousins and an amount of Rs 1.75 crore was deposited by him in the account of a company Krishnom, owned by them.

The CBI has claimed that 10.5 million was to be paid to Tyagi and his cousins Sanjeev, Sandeep and Rajeev. Of this, 3 million was paid.

About Michel’s payments, the CBI mentioned in its chargesheet that he used his two companies — Global Services FZE, Dubai, and Global Trade & Commerce Services, London — to process the kickbacks into other companies.

AgustaWestland paid him 6.05 million from April 2010 to December 2011 for advising and assisting in performance of contract for supply of AW-101 helicopters from India, and 18.20 million from June 2010 to December 2011 in the garb of buyback of 14 WG copters from Pawan Hans. The CBI probe found no helicopter was sold to anyone by Pawan Hans after 2000.