 has moved the Supreme Court opposing the permission given by the Delhi High Court to Rajiv Saxena, the accused-turned-approver in the AgustaWestland chopper deal scam to go abroad for medical treatment.){kind=link}
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved the Supreme Court opposing the permission given by the Delhi High Court to Rajiv Saxena, the accused-turned-approver in the AgustaWestland chopper deal scam to go abroad for medical treatment.
The apex court will hear the matter tomorrow.
The Delhi High Court had earlier this month allowed Saxena to travel abroad on the ground that he was suffering from various medical ailments. He was allowed to go to the UK, Dubai and other European countries for medical treatment for a month from June 25 to July 24. The court order had come after it dismissed the ED’s plea challenging the trial court’s June 1 order allowing him to travel abroad.
The ED had argued that investigation in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal was at a crucial stage and that Saxena may escape justice if he was allowed to travel abroad.
Thereafter, the court directed Saxena to submit details of his contact numbers, hotels, hospitals and schedule of his appointment with the doctors. On March 25, a trial court had allowed Saxena to become an approver in the chopper deal case. He was granted pardon after the investigating agency supported his application.
Saxena was arrested in Dubai on the night of January 30 after which he was extradited to India.
According to the ED, Saxena, in connivance with lawyer Gautam Khaitan, provided the global corporate structure that laundered money for payment to various political leaders, bureaucrats and Indian Air Force (IAF) officials in order to influence the contract for supplying 12 VVIP choppers in favour of AgustaWestland, the Rome-headquartered helicopter design and manufacturing company.
—India Legal Bureau