- विज्ञापन -
New Delhi, May 29: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea filed by British National Christian Michel seeking relaxation of bail conditions in the money laundering case linked to the AugustaWestland VVIP Chopper Scam.
A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and PV Sanjay Kumar refused to waive the requirement of submitting a local Indian address for bail. “If you want to stay in this country, you must make some arrangements. If your permanent address is Tihar, then stay there only”, the Court remarked sharply.
Christian Michel was granted bail by the High Court in March 2025 but remained in custody due to non-compliance with the bail conditions.
The High Court had modified his bail terms, allowing him to furnish a personal bond of ₹5 lakh and a cash surety of ₹10 lakh, easing earlier requirements. However, Michel failed to submit a valid local address, citing that his family home in London had been sold while he was in custody.
Additionally, the Supreme Court rejected Michel’s challenge to a Delhi High Court order directing the British High Commission to submit his renewed passport directly to the trial court. Michel argued that Indian courts cannot issue binding directions to a foreign sovereign body, but the top court disagreed.
Michel was extradited to India in December 2018 and has been in custody since. He is accused of acting as a middleman in the ₹3,600 crore AgustaWestland deal and allegedly received €42.27 million in illegal kickbacks. According to the CBI and ED, the money was routed through various bank accounts in the UK and UAE.
In February 2025, the Supreme Court granted him bail in the CBI case. The present case relates to the Enforcement Directorate’s investigation into the money laundering aspect of the scam.
