An Indian Investigating team comprising a senior officer of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), a senior law officer and a senior joint secretary may go to Italy on Monday for collecting more proofs and evidence in the alleged $750 mn/Rs.3,600 crore chopper deal, official said.
According to officials, the team would meet the Italian prosecutors to ascertain the details of the case.
"The team will leave as soon as possible. Hopefully by Monday," said an official.
He said a lawyer is likely to be engaged in Italy to help the team understand the Italian law, represent India's case with the local courts, and expedite the process of getting documents.
The defence ministry is also sending a senior joint secretary to Italy "to gather as much evidence as possible" relating to the allegations of corruption in the acquisition of the helicopters for the VVIP use by the Indian Air Force.
The official, A K Bal, will leave for Rome Monday.
Sources said that the defence ministry official and the CBI team were likely to travel together to Italy.
They said the CBI team will probe if firms had been floated to route kickbacks in the helicopter deal with AgustaWestland, a Britain-based subsidiary of Italian firm Finmeccanica.
They said the investigating agency has so far not registered a case as it wants to get more information about the kickbacks and establish authenticity of documents.
The sources said the CBI was handed over a letter from the defence ministry seeking a probe which also contained some press clippings.
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has also sought a report from the ministry on alleged irregularities in the chopper deal.
The helicopter deal with AgustaWestland could come up during discussions with British Prime Minister David Cameron who is arriving India Monday.
Britain has told India that it wanted to wait for the investigation in Italy to be completed.
A multi-crore scam was erupted in media last week when Italian agency had arrested Finmeccanica chief executive officer (CEO) Giuseppe Orsi for allegedly doing kickbacks of US$750-million in selling 12 corruption AgustaWestland helicopters to Indian Air Force. India’s former Air Chief Marshal S K Sarin’s name has come in the limelight for doing irregularities in the deal.
The Indian government has already put on hold the deal and launched the process to cancel it amid allegations that kickbacks of 51 million euro (approx $68 mn) were paid to clinch the deal.
It has also issued a show cause notice to AgustaWestland as to why the contract should not be scrapped in view of the corruption allegations.
AgustaWestland has said it was preparing to clarify the points raised by the Indian government.
The helicopters were for the IAF's elite Communication Squadron, which ferries the president, the prime minister and other VVIPs.
The IAF had sought the choppers as a replacement for its ageing Mi-17 cargo helicopters that were modified for VVIP use. Three of the 12 AgustaWestland helicopters have already been supplied.
--With IANS Inputs--
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