The Dubai government has finally ordered extradition of Christian Michel, alleged middleman in the VVIP chopper scandal.
A formal administrative order by the Dubai government was long awaited after the Dubai’s highest Court had rejected Michel’s plea against extradition.
With Dubai government clearing the decks for his extradition, Michel is likely to be brought to India this week, said people with direct knowledge of the matter.
They indicated that representatives of the Indian government are already in Dubai for the past few days completing legal formalities and had been hard pressing for Michel’s extradition.
ET was the first to report on December 4 that Dubai’s Ministry of Justice of Dubai has completed the formalities to effect the extradition of Christian Michel.
After November 19 order of Dubai’s top court, the Ministry of Justice, started completing the formalities to extradite Michel.
Michel he will be formally arrested in India and produced before a Delhi Court in Patiala House seeking with prosecutors seeking his custodial interrogation.
As first reported by ET on August 27, Indian probe agencies had stepped up efforts for Michel’s extradition. It started in February 2017 when the Dubai government, much to Indian government’s surprise, informed India that there was no evidence regarding a Dubai company facilitating the payment of kickbacks.
“No data in respect of Global Services FZE, Dubai, could be evidenced” read an official communication sent by Dubai authorities on February 2, 2017. It added that “investigation and scrutinising the database of criminal information system found no personal data in respect of David Syms”.
David Syms, a member of the Syms family, controls a large number of companies. David is listed as director in more than two dozen companies. As per available information, David along with his octogenarian father Charles Syms, were business associates of Michel for more than 15 years. Global Services FZE, Michel’s Dubai firm, was signed on to facilitate the sale of 14 old Westland choppers to be procured by Pawan Hans.
Following the communication, the Indian agencies supplied “sufficient incriminating evidence” showing Michel’s involvement in the scandal.
ET reported on September 21 that in near half a dozen meetings with Michel and his lawyer, in presence of Dubai representatives, Michel had said that he feels scared of the dilapidated condition of Indian jails.
Unlike Mallya’s extradition plea, where the Indian government is a party before the UK Court, in Michel’s case the Indian government was not a party before the Dubai Court.
The Dubai court, flatly rejected all contentions raised by Michel against the extradition plea. Michel had averred that he may be “exposed to inhuman treatment” and be “forced to accept the role of political personalities” in India.
Dubai Court held that “the argument is rejected as the request for extradition is not in the case of political, religious or racial in nature”.
Not only did Michel deny any involvement in the AgustaWestland scandal but also produced documents in his defence claiming innocence.
However, Michel was confronted with documents purportedly written by him to AgustaWestland. Michel claimed that there was nothing confidential about the documents since they were “in the public domain”.
Puncturing his claims, the agencies confronted him with documents allegedly authored by him containing vital “updates” about the VVIP chopper deal. The agencies made out a case showing that the said documents and diaries contained confidential information which Michel, a private citizen, could not have laid his hands on.
After constant grilling, a “nervous” Michel had enquired about “options” from Indian authorities in lieu of not getting extradited to India,” said sources.
Michel has repeatedly denied writing the impugned diaries and feigned ignorance about “AP” and “family” mentioned in the said diaries detailing the alleged kickbacks paid for the choppers.
He had shifted the entire blame to Guido Haschke, another alleged middleman and co-accused in the VVIP chopper scandal.
A formal administrative order by the Dubai government was long awaited after the Dubai’s highest Court had rejected Michel’s plea against extradition.
With Dubai government clearing the decks for his extradition, Michel is likely to be brought to India this week, said people with direct knowledge of the matter.
They indicated that representatives of the Indian government are already in Dubai for the past few days completing legal formalities and had been hard pressing for Michel’s extradition.
ET was the first to report on December 4 that Dubai’s Ministry of Justice of Dubai has completed the formalities to effect the extradition of Christian Michel.
After November 19 order of Dubai’s top court, the Ministry of Justice, started completing the formalities to extradite Michel.
Michel he will be formally arrested in India and produced before a Delhi Court in Patiala House seeking with prosecutors seeking his custodial interrogation.
As first reported by ET on August 27, Indian probe agencies had stepped up efforts for Michel’s extradition. It started in February 2017 when the Dubai government, much to Indian government’s surprise, informed India that there was no evidence regarding a Dubai company facilitating the payment of kickbacks.
“No data in respect of Global Services FZE, Dubai, could be evidenced” read an official communication sent by Dubai authorities on February 2, 2017. It added that “investigation and scrutinising the database of criminal information system found no personal data in respect of David Syms”.
David Syms, a member of the Syms family, controls a large number of companies. David is listed as director in more than two dozen companies. As per available information, David along with his octogenarian father Charles Syms, were business associates of Michel for more than 15 years. Global Services FZE, Michel’s Dubai firm, was signed on to facilitate the sale of 14 old Westland choppers to be procured by Pawan Hans.
Following the communication, the Indian agencies supplied “sufficient incriminating evidence” showing Michel’s involvement in the scandal.
ET reported on September 21 that in near half a dozen meetings with Michel and his lawyer, in presence of Dubai representatives, Michel had said that he feels scared of the dilapidated condition of Indian jails.
Unlike Mallya’s extradition plea, where the Indian government is a party before the UK Court, in Michel’s case the Indian government was not a party before the Dubai Court.
The Dubai court, flatly rejected all contentions raised by Michel against the extradition plea. Michel had averred that he may be “exposed to inhuman treatment” and be “forced to accept the role of political personalities” in India.
Dubai Court held that “the argument is rejected as the request for extradition is not in the case of political, religious or racial in nature”.
Not only did Michel deny any involvement in the AgustaWestland scandal but also produced documents in his defence claiming innocence.
However, Michel was confronted with documents purportedly written by him to AgustaWestland. Michel claimed that there was nothing confidential about the documents since they were “in the public domain”.
Puncturing his claims, the agencies confronted him with documents allegedly authored by him containing vital “updates” about the VVIP chopper deal. The agencies made out a case showing that the said documents and diaries contained confidential information which Michel, a private citizen, could not have laid his hands on.
After constant grilling, a “nervous” Michel had enquired about “options” from Indian authorities in lieu of not getting extradited to India,” said sources.
Michel has repeatedly denied writing the impugned diaries and feigned ignorance about “AP” and “family” mentioned in the said diaries detailing the alleged kickbacks paid for the choppers.
He had shifted the entire blame to Guido Haschke, another alleged middleman and co-accused in the VVIP chopper scandal.
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