January 30, 2019:

Rajiv Saxena is said to have played a pivotal role in laundering the money received to pay kickbacks in the AgustaWestland scandal.

In yet another breakthrough in the VVIP chopper scandal, the Indian probe agencies are bringing Rajeev Saxena, Dubai based businessman from Dubai.

Besides Saxena, the agencies also brought alleged corporate lobbyist Deepak Talwar to India Wednesday night. Talwar, who fled to Dubai, is being probed in India for allegedly concealing income of more than Rs 1,000 crore as well as facilitating aviation contracts during the UPA regime.

As per available information, the duo will be produced before a local Court tomorrow.

After being successful in getting Christian Michel James extradited, the probe agencies will now confront Saxena.

The development assumes significance because the agencies allege that Rajiv Saxena played a pivotal role in laundering the money received to pay kickbacks in the AgustaWestland scandal.

ET was the first to report in July last year that in its supplementary charge sheet, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had elaborated on how the bribe money paid to clinch the chopper deal was “layered” and projected as “untainted money” by creating “fictitious invoices.” It mentioned how fictitious engineering contracts were created to hide the kickbacks allegedly paid by AgustaWestland to companies directly controlled by Khaitan and his associate Rajiv Saxena, a co-accused in the case.

Saxena stands charge sheeted in the case.

A local court had issued a non-bailable warrant against Saxena after the ED told the court that he had not joined the investigation despite repeated summons against him. His name was mentioned in a charge sheet filed against his wife, Shivani, who is out on bail now after being arrested by the ED.

Saxena was named only in the third supplementary complaint filed in July 2018. The same is also under challenge before the High Court by another accused in the case, Gautam Khaitan.

The ED had earlier arrested Saxena, who is the Director of Matrix Holdings Dubai, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in connection with the case. Saxena had moved the court against the cancellation of the warrant claiming that he is not an absconder and had already served the required documents and details to the premier financial investigators.

Saxena's lawyers have alleged that Saxena has been illegally extradited and also claimed that he was not given access to his family, lawyers or even essential medicine.

“There were no extradition proceedings started in the UAE and he was not allowed access to his family or lawyers or essential daily medicine. He was on boarded onto a private jet from a private terminal at Dubai International Airport,” his lawyers have alleged.

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