No decision yet on cancellation of Agusta deal: Antony

Government is yet to take a final decision on the fate of the deal, says the minister

The government has not taken any decision on canceling the deal for 12 VVIP helicopters with AgustaWestland which is being investigated by CBI on the allegation that the Anglo-Italian firm paid bribes to win the lucrative deal, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

In a written reply, Defence Minister A K Antony said the government was yet to take a final decision on the fate of the deal.

"While the operation of the contract for procurement of 12 VVIP/VIP helicopters has been put on hold, no decision has been taken so far to cancel the contract," he said in reply to a question asked by BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

The company had allegedly paid kickbacks of over Rs 300 crore and CBI registered a case on March 12 to probe the charge, which is denied by the firm.