Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan admitted to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that he got money from Italian middlemen — Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschkhe.
According to CBI sources, Khaitan is the main link in establishing money trail.
Khaitan who is an advocate and a former Board member of company Aeromatrix which was allegedly used to route bribe amount is named in the CBI FIR as one of the accused.
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Earlier on Wednesday, CBI questioned former IAF Chief S P Tyagi and examined lawyer Gautam Khaitan for the first time after an Italian court held that bribes were paid to clinch the Rs 3600 crore VVIP Helicopter deal.
CBI had registered a case against Tyagi along with 13 others including his cousins and European middlemen.
The allegation against the former Air Chief was that he reduced flying ceiling of the helicopter from 6,000m to 4,500m (15,000ft) which put AgustaWestland helicopters in the race for the deal without which its choppers were not even qualified for submission of bids.
Tyagi has denied allegations against him and said that the change of specifications, which brought AgustaWestland into contention, was a collective decision in which senior officers of Indian Air Force, SPG, NSA and other departments were involved.
(With PTI inputs)