AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper Case: SC dismisses plea of Christian Michel
May 29, 2025
New Delhi [India], May 29 : The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea filed by British citizen Christian Michel, accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, who challenged bail conditions imposed by the Delhi High Court in a money laundering case.
A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sanjay Kumar rejected Michel's plea against some conditions imposed by the High Court on Michel.
Michel has objected to the High Court's direction which asked him to provide the address where he intends to reside after his release.
"You have a permanent address inside the Tihar jail; stay there only. Finished. What to do? You have been granted bail. You don't even want to fulfil a condition of providing a local address," said the bench as counsel of Michel objected to the conditions of the High Court.
Michel's counsel contended that he did not have a local address and could not fulfil the condition of giving an address unless released from custody.
He further submitted that the High Court does not have the power to issue directions to the British High Commission, which is a foreign authority.
Michel had challenged the Delhi High Court's March 2025 order, which modified his bail conditions in the money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The High Court had allowed Michel to be released without submitting his passport immediately, as his earlier passport had expired. However, it directed that the British High Commission must deposit his new passport directly with the trial court when issued.
It further directed that Michel should furnish the address where he intends to reside after release from the jail and the address would be verified by the trial court before his release.
Michel is the alleged middleman arrested in 2018 in a money laundering case connected to the Rs 3,600-crore alleged scam relating to the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from AgustaWestland.
He was extradited in 2018 after India won the extradition case in Dubai. He is accused of being a middleman for the alleged illegal transactions that took place in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal.
The CBI had alleged that there was an estimated loss of Euro 398.21 million (about 2666 Crore) to the exchequer in the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010 for the supply of VVIP choppers worth Euro 556.262 million. Later ED filed a chargesheet against Michel in June, 2016, alleging that he had received EUR 30 million (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland.
