Ratul Puri received Rs 16 cr kickbacks from firms linked to VVIP choppers middlemen: ED

Ratul Puri, nephew of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, is alleged to have received kickbacks of about Rs 16 crore from firms linked to purported middlemen involved the multi-crore VVIP choppers scam, the ED said in its charge sheet on Saturday.

The central agency filed its sixth supplementary prosecution complaint in the case and named Puri and his alleged associate Jaspreet Ahuja.

"Investigation revealed that kickbacks from AgustaWestland amounting to Euro 70 million was routed through middlemen Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke, who have received about Euro 28 million, and Christian Michel James (another middleman in the case), who had received about Euro 42 million, to influence the contract for the supply of 12 VVIP helicopters," it said in a statement.

 

Puri received "proceeds of crime" amounting to Euro 704,134.57 and USD 1,50,000 from Interstellar Technologies Limited in his foreign entities, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said.

"The same money was layered through various companies in foreign jurisdictions and then brought into India and invested in Hindustan Power Group, whose chairman is Puri," the agency charged.

The ED has claimed that Puri also received "proceeds of crime" amounting to USD 12,40,890 from Michel's companies namely Global Services FZE and Globe Oil FZE through the companies of Rajiv Saxena which were used for the benefit of Puri.

The conversion of the foreign currencies alleged to have been received by Puri comes to about Rs 16 crore.

Both Michel and Saxena have been deported by Indian probe agencies from Dubai as part of the probe into the case.

The charge sheet said Ahuja "assisted" Puri in laundering the proceeds of crime through various jurisdictions by creating, maintaining and managing the foreign companies which belonged to Puri.

"Both have known each other since long," the ED said.

It said a court has taken cognisance of the charge sheet and issued summons for December 18 to Ahuja and also sent Puri to judicial custody till the same date.

The charge sheet was filed by the agency before the court of special judge Arvind Kumar here.

The ED arrested Puri on September 4 and he is currently in judicial custody.

The money laundering case was lodged following alleged irregularities in the purchase of 12 VVIP choppers from Italy-based Finmeccanica's British subsidiary, AgustaWestland.