In the latest development in the investigation into the AgustaWestland case, the Income Tax department today raided offices and various other properties in Delhi-NCR belonging to Gautam Khaitan.
Gautam Khaitan has been accused of allegedly receiving kickbacks in the AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper purchase deal. The I-T department confirms that they have various details and proof that Khaitan was allegedly involved in several other defence deals during the UPA tenure and he may have received kickbacks in those deals also.
According to reports, the I-T department has conducted these raids in 12 locations. Gautam Khaitan is one of the main accused in chopper purchase scandal and is alleged to have routed bribe through shell companies abroad.
The Delhi-based lawyer was arrested on September 3, 2014, and later released on bail on January 9, 2015. He was a board member of Aeromatrix and is said to have received money from Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa, the key middlemen in the deal.
Khaitan was again arrested along with Sanjeev Tyagi on December 9, 2016, by CBI in connection with the case which relates to the procurement of 12 VVIP choppers from UK-based firm during the UPA-2 regime and was later released on bail.
He had allegedly routed the bribe money in the AgustaWestland deal through shell companies in tax havens abroad and parked it in Mauritius. Khaitan on his part had denied that the money was a part of the kickbacks in the AgustaWestland deal.
As part of the investigation, ED is also probing KRBL, a Basmati Rice Exporting company, as Gautam Khaitan was the joint director of the company from 2007 to 2013. ED sources have reportedly mentioned that the proceeds of the kickbacks and bribes were being laundered through Rawasi Al Khaleej General Trading, a subsidiary of KRBL. KRBL had reportedly denied receiving kickback money or laundering it.
Earlier it was reported that Gautam Khaitan had during CBI questioning had accepted that he set up a shell company to receive money from the aviation firm and there were reports that Gautam Khaitan, one of the main accused in the case could turn approver.
