Son of jailed AgustaWestland middleman calls for his release; cites Nirav Modi case to question additional charges

TOI correspondent in London: british national family Christian Michelthe alleged middleman has been imprisoned in Delhi’s Tihar Jail for more than seven years AgustaWestland Helicopter Scam His son Alois Michel has called on India to “follow its own extradition laws” and free his father as he steps up efforts to secure his freedom. He also compared his father’s case with that of fugitive diamond businessman Nirav Modi, who is accused of defrauding PNB of Rs 13,000 crore before fleeing to the UK.Alois (28), speaking to TOI by phone from Madrid, said that to secure Modi’s extradition from Britain, the Indian government promised that he would not be interrogated or face additional charges in India. In his father’s case, however, they did the opposite, he added.Michel was extradited from the United Arab Emirates in December 2018 and served more than the maximum sentence under Indian law for bribing officials to secure a 2010 AgustaWestland helicopter supply contract. However, Indian authorities have filed an additional charge of counterfeiting valuable security, which carries a life sentence.Michel (64) disputed this, claiming that it violated Section 21 of India’s Extradition Act, which stipulates that no other charges can be brought against someone other than the person being extradited. His petition challenging the move was dismissed in April by the Delhi High Court, which ruled that Article 17 of the India-UAE extradition treaty allows for the addition of “associated offences”. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case in July.“Had they complied with Article 21 (extradition law), my father should have been released last year because he was not charged with any other charges and had received the maximum penalty for that charge (bribery) before July last year,” Alois said. “What my father asked for was exactly what India promised to Nirav Modi. Just for India to abide by its own laws. That’s it. No special treatment. No political favors. Just respect for their own laws and, therefore, apply the same assurances that India gave to the British courts (in Modi’s case).“Alois said the family had been seeking a meeting with Indo-Pacific Minister Seema Malhotra for months. He added that his brother Alaric would meet with her on Wednesday after she finally expressed her availability.The Michelles are also dissatisfied with the British government. Alois said his father was “tired of the British government not taking any action”.However, a spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “The UK government is committed to resolving Christian Michel’s case as quickly as possible. We will continue to provide consular assistance to Mr Michel and his family and have been raising his case directly with the Indian government.”