New Delhi: CBI has filed a charge sheet against former Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma and four IAF personnel, in connection with the alleged corruption in the Rs 3,600 crore Augusta Westland VVIP chopper deal.

Sharma was the Defence Secretary between 2011 and 2013 before being appointed the Comptroller and Auditor General. Four IAF personnel are Air Vice Marshal Jasbir Singh Panesar (retd), former Deputy Chief Test pilot S.A. Kunte, Wing Commander Thomas Mathew (retd) and Group Captain N Santosh (retd).

The case pertains to buying of 12 Augusta Westland helicopters built by Italian defence manufacturing giant Finmeccanica at an estimated cost of Rs 3,600 crore for ferrying VVIPs. In the deal, cleared in 2010 by the then UPA Government, bribes were allegedly paid to middlemen and others.

India cancelled the contract on January 1^st, 2014, with Finmeccanica’s British subsidiary Augusta Westland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the IAF, over alleged breach of contractual obligations and on charges of paying kickbacks amounting to Rs 423 crore.

CBI had filed a supplementary charge sheet on September 19^th, 2020 against 15 accused, including alleged middleman and British citizen Christian Michel and accused-turned-approver Rajiv Saxena, in connection with the scam.