The Delhi High Court heard strong opposition from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday against granting bail to Christian Michel James, a British national implicated as a middleman in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam. Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma presided over the proceedings where the ED’s counsel emphasized that James posed a flight risk and the seriousness of the allegations made bail inappropriate.
Christian Michel James was extradited from Dubai in December 2018 and has since faced charges by both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED. He is one of the three middlemen being investigated, alongside Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa, in the scam involving the purchase of 12 luxury helicopters.
During the hearing, the ED reiterated that the Delhi High Court had previously rejected James’s bail in March 2022, affirming that the allegations of money laundering against him were well-founded. The agency also highlighted that James, having no significant ties to India and having already spent over five years in detention, still did not meet the conditions for bail.
James’s defense argued the protracted nature of the proceedings and pointed out that the trial had yet to commence. They noted that even if convicted, James faces a maximum of seven years in prison, almost equal to the time he has already spent in jail. Additionally, his counsel contested the charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), arguing that the ongoing investigation since 2014 has yet to solidify into a trial and that the extradition decree did not specify charges under the PMLA, thereby questioning the basis of his continued detention under these charges.
The court has scheduled further hearings for January 2025. Meanwhile, previous decisions by both the High Court and the Supreme Court have gone against James, with the Supreme Court notably denying him bail in February 2023 on the basis that completing half the maximum sentence did not automatically entitle him to release.
