Chopper scam: ED probing role of Tyagi's cousin

NEW DELHI: Did former IAF chief S P Tyagi’s cousin Sanjeev and European middlemen Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke play important roles in fixing two other deals in India, one when the AgustaWestland deal was being negotiated and the other in 2012?

Investigation documents of the Enforcement Directorate, accessed by TOI, reveal that Sanjeev Tyagi, also known as Julie, knew Haschke and Gerosa since 1996-1997. Sanjeev’s statement to the ED, which is part of the documents, said: “Around that time, Gerosa was working with one engineering company in Milan, Italy, and this company was working as a sub-contractor to M/s Ansaldo Energia, Italy and M/s ABBS Saesadelm, Milan).” Ansaldo is a subsidiary of Finmeccanica.

“Haschke introduced Sa-njeev Tyagi to one Mr M Sarton, who was vice-president of ABBS. Later on, Mr Sarton came to India along with Gerosa and Haschke and Tyagi took them to Mr Shahi, (then) CMD of BSES and Mr R K Narain, (then) chief of (erstwhile) DESU for a meeting in connection with renovation of Rajghat and IP station power plants,” the ED document said.

“Mr Sarton had written a letter to Sanjeev Tyagi on this power plant, a copy of which was marked to Guido and Carlo. Haschke had stated in an Italian court in January 2014 (after his arrest) that he came to India in 2004 or early 2005 to solve a major dispute between M/s Ansaldo and a local Indian company for which M/s Ansaldo had built a power station,” it further said. This meeting took place around the time the Agusta deal was being considered by the IAF.

In the other instance, Sanjeev Tyagi went for a meeting in March 2012 for LNG supplies to India, which was fixed by Gerosa, with some Russian and Spanish nationals who were keen to supply the LNG, ED documents said. It is not kn-own where this meeting took place or what transpired. Sanjeev met the interested parties on the reference of Haschke and Gerosa in both the cases.

Investigation documents of the ED reveal that Sanjeev Tyagi, cousin of IAF ex-chief S P Tyagi (in pic) and also known as Julie, knew both
European middlemen Haschke and Gerosa since 1996-1997.