The case went to Italy’s highest court after former top executives at defence group Leonardo Finmeccanica appealed a lower court’s conviction. File photo

MILAN, December 16

Italy’s highest court on Friday ordered a re-trial of former top executives at defence group Leonardo Finmeccanica over allegations of bribery in a 2010 contract to provide a dozen helicopters to the Indian government.

In April, a Milan appeals court sentenced former Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi to four-and-a-half years in prison for corruption and falsifying invoices, overturning a previous lower court ruling.

Bruno Spagnolini, former head of the group’s helicopter unit AgustaWestland, was sentenced to four years in jail over the 560 million euro ($585 million) contract.

The case went to the highest court after the two executives launched an appeal.

Both executives will now have to be tried again in front of Milan’s appeals court.

Last week, India’s federal police arrested the former head of the air force SP Tyagi, 71, who was at the centre of allegations of impropriety in the order of 12 helicopters meant to fly senior Indian politicians.

The deal was cancelled in 2014 after Orsi was arrested on suspicion of paying bribes to secure the deal. — Reuters

IAF ex-chief Tyagi sent to jail, moves bail plea

New Delhi, December 17A court here on Saturday sent former Indian Air Force chief S.P. Tyagi and two others, arrested in the AgustaWestland chopper deal case, to judicial custody till December 30.Claiming innocence, Tyagi has moved a bail application that a Patiala House court listed for December 21.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Arvind Kumar remanded Tyagi, his cousin Sanjiv Tyagi and Gautam Khaitan, a Delhi-based lawyer, to Tihar Jail.Considering the security perspective, the court has directed lock-up as well as jail officials to take care of his safety measures.Tyagi — the first chief of any wing of the armed forces to be arrested in the country — and the others were allegedly involved in irregularities in the procurement of 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters from Britain-based AgustaWestland.To show solidarity to the former IAF chief in his legal battle, at least 20 veterans, including 12 former Air Marshals, were present in the court room during the proceedings.One of the close associate of Tyagi told IANS that former IAF chief is getting full support from the defence personnel.The other two also moved bail pleas and the court has asked the probe agency too file reply on the pleas.The former IAF chief sought bail on the ground that he has co-operated in the investigation.Tyagi’s counsel Menaka Guruswamy said as he is a decorated war hero, he is not fleeing from justice and will follow the conditions.Tyagi said the case is based on documentary evidence and neither he will influence witnesses nor he is going to tamper with evidence if he is released on bail.Khaitan’s counsel Pramod Kumar Dubey also maintained the same content in his bail plea.To strengthen his plea, advocate Dubey submitted before court that Khaitan has not misused any conditions of bail granted earlier in a separate case probed by Enforcement Directorate (ED). — IANS