Narendra Modi raises AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case while campaigning in Dehradun

"This is your chowkidaar who got back some middlemen in the VVIP chopper case from Dubai," Modi said addressing the rally.

"Probe agencies quizzed Michel mama and other middlemen for many weeks," he said targeting the Congress.

"The charge-sheet was presented before the court and it says that the people who have been bribed are AP which stands for Ahmed Patel and FAM for Family," he said.

"You must have heard Ahmed Patel's name by now. Can you tell me which family is he close to? Who benefited from the chopper deal?," he said.

Filing chargesheet in the AgustaWestland VVIP choppers deal case here on Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the case, is understood to have identified "AP" as senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel.

Patel is known to be close to United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson and senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.

Also the ED said Michel is understood to have identified word "FAM" as Family. 

The Central Bureau of Investigation has alleged that Michel had entered into 12 contracts with armaments major AgustaWestland to conceal kickbacks of Euro 42.27 million received on procurement of VVIP helicopters by Government of India.

After CBI, Directorate of Enforcement also initiated proceedings against Michel under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Michel, produced before a CBI court on Dec 5 after extradition from Dubai to India, is at present in judicial custody.

The ED, after investigation, filed a supplementary charge sheet of more than 2,000 pages against Mr Michel in the court of Special Judge Arvind Kumar.

ED has also named some fresh individuals and firms as accused in the case. 

Image Credit: BJP Twitter page