Christian Michel James has 'apparent influence' on British HC: CBI to High Court

19 Oct , 2021 By : monika singh

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has told the Delhi High Court that Christian Michel James, the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper scandal, has "apparent influence" on the British High Commission, referring to an "unsigned" letter the commission had sent to a special CBI judge earlier this year.

Opposing his bail plea before the HC recently, the agency said Michel's "attempts to adversely influence the investigation and judicial proceedings are evident from the unprecedented action of the British High Commission which sent an unsigned letter on May 10, 2021, to the special CBI judge praying for (his) release ..."

It said the letter had also cited medical grounds for his release, which Michel himself had not sought for bail before the special CBI court judge.

In its reply to Michel's bail plea, the agency said the judge had taken a serious view of such unusual conduct and reaffirmed that no third parties should be involved in the case. The judge had rejected Michel's bail petition in June.

The CBI further said that "there are Letters Rogatory (LRs) pending in the United Kingdom which have not been executed on one pretext or the other. The same shall further be stalled if Michel is released on bail."

His apparent influence on the British High Commission is evident, the agency said.

The CBI also slammed a report submitted by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), which Michel had relied on for his bail plea before the Delhi HC.

The CBI said Michel's reliance on the report was incorrect and misleading. The agency said that the WGAD's opinion was based on misrepresentations of an "unidentified source" and flawed understanding of the Indian legal system which were contrary to the facts of the case.

The CBI also referred to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs on February 26 rejecting the opinion rendered by the working group.

"It was made clear therein that the WGAD is not a judicial body and therefore its opinions are not legally binding on the member states. Despite the fact that the government of India provided timely information to the WGAD in June 2020 at their request, the conclusions drawn by the working group are based on limited information, biased allegations from an unidentified source and on an inaccurate understanding of India's criminal justice system," the CBI said in its reply. "Michel is using the report to cast false aspersions on the government...and portray it in a bad light." it said.

CBI also said that there had been no restrictions on consular access to Michel by the authorities.