CBI names ex-def secy, 4 IAF officers

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a supplementary chargesheet in the AgustaWestland chopper scam against former defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma and four retired Indian Air Force personnel.

The four former Indian Air Force personnel who have been named in the chargesheet include Air Vice Marshal Jasbir Singh Panesar, Deputy Chief Test Pilot SA Kunte, Wing Commander Thomas Mathew and Group Captain N Santosh.

The Rs 3,600-crore alleged scam is related to the 2010 purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from Italy-based chopper manufacturer AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of defence manufacturing company Finmeccanica. According to the Central Bureau of Investigation, several parameters such as the height of the cabin of the helicopter and the maximum altitude that it could reach were tweaked to benefit AgustaWestland.

The central agency has filed the supplementary chargesheet in a Delhi court after receiving the Union government's sanction to prosecute Sharma.