Chopper Scam: SC declines to revoke approver status of Rajiv Saxena
New Delhi/UNI: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Delhi High Court order that had dismissed Enforcement Directorate's (ED) petition seeking the revocation of approver status granted to middle man Rajiv Saxena in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal scam case.
Apex Court bench headed by Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde also issued notice to Saxena, on the petition filed by the financial probe agency challenging the June 8 order of the High Court dismissing its plea to revoke his approver status.
Currently on bail, Saxena was extradited from Dubai in January 2019 and was interrogated by the ED which attached his assets worth Rs 385 crore.
Dubai-based businessman and Chartered Accountant by profession, Saxena who is an accused in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case, in his bail plea earlier claimed that since he had been accorded the approver status in ED’s case, he could not be made an accused by the CBI.
Saxena, is also alleged to have operated Interstellar, a company alleged to have received proceeds of crime worth 12.4 million euros which were routed for “payment of bribes” to influential people, including politicians and bureaucrats to tilt the chopper deal in favour of AgustaWestland.
The middleman in the deal, Christian Michel James, also allegedly routed bribe money to a company through Interstellar.
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