SC to Examine Christian Michel’s Plea on Extradition Limits in AgustaWestland Case

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea filed by alleged middleman Christian Michel James seeking release from jail in the ₹3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notices to the Centre, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), seeking responses within four weeks. The matter is likely to be heard in July .

James has challenged Article 17 of the India-UAE Extradition Treaty, arguing it allows prosecution beyond the specific offences for which extradition was granted . His counsel maintained that extradited individuals cannot be tried for connected offences .

The plea follows the Delhi High Court’s April 8 order dismissing his petition, ruling that his prosecution falls within the treaty’s scope. Extradited from Dubai in December 2018 , James has argued he has spent over seven years in custody , equivalent to the maximum sentence for the offences cited, making his continued detention illegal .

Though granted bail in 2025 in both CBI and ED cases, he remains in jail due to inability to meet bail conditions.

The case relates to a 2010 deal for 12 VVIP helicopters worth €556 million with AgustaWestland. Investigators allege kickbacks were paid to secure the contract, causing an estimated loss of €398 million. The ED claims James received €30 million as part of the alleged bribery network.