New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday (May 1) opposed in the Delhi High Court alleged middleman Christian Michel James’s plea seeking modification of his bail conditions in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland money laundering case.
James, who was granted bail by the High Court in the money laundering case in March, has sought relaxing the bail conditions – furnishing a surety of Rs 5 lakh and surrendering his passport. He has submitted that his passport had expired and the process of obtaining a new passport was likely to take at least 4-8 weeks.
James had no roots in India and can easily flee the country, ED told High Court
The ED, in its submissions before Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, said James was a foreign national and had no roots in India and he can easily flee the country and there was no way to ensure his presence in India if he furnished no local surety. It further said it would be difficult to secure his presence in future if the condition was waived off.
“With regards to first condition, that is, furnishing a personal bond and surety in the sum of Rs 5 lakh, it is submitted that the applicant (James) is a foreign national and has no roots in India and if no local surety is furnished by the applicant herein as per the conditions imposed by this court, then there is no way to ensure his presence in India and he can easily flee the country,” the ED said.
Renewed passport should be handed over to investigating officer or sent straightaway to trial court: ED
Regarding the passport, the ED told the High Court that James could undertake the process of renewal of his passport and the embassy could be directed by the High Court that once his passport was renewed, it should be handed over to the investigating officer or sent straightaway to the trial court to curtail any misuse.
The court would hear the matter further on May 6, news agency PTI reported.
High Court granted bail to James in ED case on March 4
The High Court on March 4 granted bail to James in the money laundering case on furnishing a personal bond and surety in the sum of Rs 5 lakh each and on surrendering his passport before the trial court. It had made it clear that his passport would not be released without its permission as investigation against him was still pending.
Supreme Court earlier granted James bail in CBI case
The Supreme Court earlier granted him bail in a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), noting that he was in custody in the CBI case for the last six years and the investigation into the matter is still underway.
James, a British national, was extradited from Dubai in 2018
James, a British national, was extradited from Dubai in December, 2018. He was subsequently arrested in the alleged Rs 3,600-crore scam case relating to the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from chopper design and manufacturing company AgustaWestland.
