See:http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2013/02/swiss-based-consultant-haschke-was-paid.html Swiss-based consultant Haschke was paid 51 million euros : Italy-India helicopter corruption scandal
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-spy-who-cam-in-from-switzerland-for.html The spy who cam in from Switzerland for an Indian deal -- Italian investigators
http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2013/02/italy-defence-firm-chief-arrested-for.html Italy defence firm chief arrested for India bribe
Italian media hints at Cong link to copter scam
FRIDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2013 00:31 J GOPIKRISHNAN | NEW DELHI
AgustaWestland chopper deal too has telltale signs of a Congress connection. According to the Italian newspaper ‘Lettera 43’, main commission agent Christian Michel’s late father was “close to the Congress party”, and the other middleman, Guido Ralph Haschke, was a Director of Emaar-MGF, a real estate company owned by relatives of Kanishka Singh, who is associated with a Congress high-up.
Michel was also the agent of Dassault, which has emerged as the lowest bidder for the Indian Air Force’s 10 billion dollar deal for Rafale fighter jets, supposed to be the world’s biggest tender.
According to the Italian newspaper report on November 20, 2012, the “mysterious” British citizen Michel, described as “Man of Bears”, had received 60 per cent (around `210 crore) of the kickback amount of 51 million Euros (around `360 crore) from the Finmeccanica, the manufactures of AgustaWestland choppers.
The investigation report filed in the Italian court corroborated the findings. It said that the CEO of Finmeccanica, Giuseppe Orsi, and AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini had paid 30 million Euros (`217 crore) to Christian Michel. “Orsi and Spagnolin, moreover, paid Christian Michel a total amount of about Euros 30 million, partly destined to support the corrupt activity meant to bag the order and partly to implement the contract,” the document said.
“Born in 1961, Michel is little known to the public. On the internet, there are no evidences of his business or his statement. Not a photo or an interview. Yet, Michel is very well introduced in Defence establishments in New Delhi,” says the Italian newspaper report titled “Christian Michel, the English middleman of Finmeccanica.”
“His contacts are stronger especially with the Indian Defence, that he has inherited from his father, Wolfgang Max Michel Richard, a British businessman who was very active in India between 80s and 90s and was close to the Congress party,” the reports says.
The detailed article on the business background of the “mysterious” Michel stated that his father had business interests in Libya, Russia, Iran and Iraq. He was a Labour party’s fund-raiser before his death in August 2012.
Italian newspaper reports as well as French Court records establish that Michel was an agent of Dassault, which is set to bag the 10 billion dollar worth deal from Indian Air Force.
According to these reports, in 2004, Michel sued Dassault over non-payment of commission for the purchase of Mirage aircraft for Indian Air Force in 2000. However, Michel lost the case at Paris Commerical Tribunal on the technical grounds that his agreement with Dassault had expired.
Haschke case is all more bizarre. The man who confessed to the Italian court on his connections with former Air Chief SP Tyagi was the Director of Emmar MGF, the firm which bagged the biggest deal in connection with Commonwealth Games. Haschke is neither builder nor a real estate enterprenur, so his connection with Emmar MGF is bound to raise eyebrows.
The controversial real estate giant is still being probed by the CBI for alleged irregularities in the construction of the Games Village Complex in Delhi. Late Ved Prakash Gupta, the founder of Emmar MGF, was the maternal grandfather of Kanishka Singh. Kanishka’s father late SK Singh was the promoter of Emmar MGF, which was doled out controversial favour by the Delhi Development Authority after it bagged the contract for building the CWG Village.
According to the prospectus filed by Emmar MGF with SEBI, Haschke was Director in September 2009. But in December 2009, he resigned after the Games scandal exploded and Opposition leaders and former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari alleged that the Emmar MGF had been favoured due to its link with Kanishka Singh.
1951 born, Haschke is a Switzerland-based defence middleman, who holds dual passports of his motherland Italy and that of the USA. Haschke earned 20 million euros (around Rs 150cr) in the deal, according to chargsheet in the AgustaWestland case. It is learned that Haschke stopped visiting India after 2011, when his name cropped up in the Italian probe. Michel, a frequenter to Delhi for the past two decades, also stopped coming to India after August 2012. He is currently operating from Dubai.
http://dailypioneer.com/home/online-channel/360-todays-newspaper/127688-italian-media-hints-at-cong-link-to-copter-scam.html
New item appeared in Italian newspaper : Lettera 43
Here is the link : http://www.lettera43.it/economia/industria/christian-michel-la-pedina-inglese-di-finmeccanica_4367573152.htm
The Italian news item :
Christian Michel, la pedina inglese di Finmeccanica
Figlio di un uomo d'affari vicino al Labour. E indicato come mediatore in India. Chi è il misterioso consulente del Gruppo.
di Gabriella Colarusso
Era convinto di aver ripulito il suo computer dai documenti sensibili, Guido Ralph Haschke, e invece la procura di Busto Arstizio che indaga sugli affari indiani di Agusta Westland, controllata da Finmeccanica, è riuscita a rintracciare quasi tutti i file del suo hard disk. E così al consulente con doppio passaporto, non è rimasto che spiegare agli inquirenti la sua verità.
LA PISTA INDIANA. Haschke è indagato per corruzione internazionale e riciclaggionell'ambito dell'inchiesta sulle presunte tangenti pagate da Agusta Westland per ottenere una commessa da 550 milioni di euro dal governo indiano.
Il 13 novembre scorso, interrogato dai magistrati di Busto titolari del fascicolo, Haschke ha rivelato di aver aver corrisposto in più circostanze denaro all'ex direttore commerciale di Finmeccanica, Paolo Pozzessere, e ad altri manager del Gruppo, per ottenere consulenze. Ma ha fornito anche altri elementi utili alle indagini che riguardano il filone indiano.
LA TANGENTE DA 51 MILIONI. Nell'affare da 550 milioni concluso con la Indian air force, è l'ipotesi investigativa, Agusta Westland avrebbe pagato 51 milioni di euro di sovraffaturazioni. Soldi che, secondo gli inquirenti, sarebbero tornati in parte nella disponibilità di Haschke (20 milioni), e in parte nelle mani di Christian Michel, altro misterioso consulente di Finmeccanica, che avrebbe poi girato parte del denaro, circa 10 milioni di euro, a Giuseppe Orsi, amministratore delegato di Finmeccanica indagato per corruzione, per soddisfare le richieste di alcuni partiti politici.
MICHEL, «L'UOMO DI ORSI». Di Michel parlò, per la prima volta nel novembre 2011, Lorenzo Borgogni, ex responsabile delle relazioni esterne del gruppo ai pm napoletani, indicando il mediatore inglese come «l'uomo di Orsi».
«In occasione di tale transazione», spiegò Borgogni ai pm napoletani riferendosi alla commessa indiana, «era stata prevista una commissione iniziale di 40 milioni di euro da corrispondere a due intermediari, Guido Haschke e Christian Michel». Michel «era uomo di Orsi e cioè era quello che era stato nominato da Orsi per far tornare i soldi nelle tasche di Orsi stesso».
Ma chi è Christian Michel?
La famiglia Michel e la vicinanza con il Labour Party
Finmeccanica è un'industria italiana attiva prevalentemente nella difesa e nell'aerospazio.
Classe 1961, cittadino britannico, Michel è poco noto al pubblico. In Rete non ci sono testimonianze della sua attività imprenditoriale né sue dichiarazioni. Non una foto né un'intervista. Eppure, secondo quanto risulta a Lettera43.it, Michel è molto ben introdotto nell'establishment di New Delhi.
I suoi contatti più forti sono soprattutto con la Difesa indiana, relazioni che il consulente appassionato di aviazione ha ereditato dal padre, Wolfgang Richard Max Michel, uomo d'affari inglese molto attivo in India tra gli Anni 80 e 90 e vicino al Congress Party.
MR WOLFGANG E I RAPPORTI CON LA LIBIA. Mr Wolfgang è morto lo scorso agosto, ma la figura ha attirato più volte l'attenzione dei media inglesi.
Nel 2003 si occupò di lui il quotidiano britannico The Guardian, raccontando di pressioni esercitate sul Labour Party da parte del governo libico di Muhammar Gheddafi per porre fine all'isolamento internazionale di Tripoli.
L'INTERMEDIARIO DEL COLONNELLO. Il nipote del Colonnello, Ahmed Gadaff Al Daim, offrì cospicue donazioni al Labour party che poi le rifiutò, usando come intermediatore proprio Wolfgang Michel, suo amico.
L'imprenditore aveva infatti ottimi rapporti con il partito dell'allora leader Tony Blair, avendo sua figlia Caroline sposato Lord Matthew Evans, pezzo grosso dei laburisti, dal quale poi la donna ha divorziato.
AFFARI CON IRAQ, RUSSIA, IRAN. Wolfgang Michel ha fatto affari per anni con alcuni dei più controversi regimi, tra cui l'Iraq e l'Iran e con la Russia, attraverso le sue società: la Entera Corporation, della quale faceva parte anche il figlio Christian, e un fondo offshore con sede in Lichtenstein.
La figlia Carolina, sorella di Christian, ed ex moglie di Lord Evans, è una delle più potenti agenti letterarie inglesi, proprietaria della Peters Fraser Dunlop.
I VECCHI INCARICHI. Dai dati della Camera di commercio inglese, invece, risulta che Christian Michel è stato direttore o consigliere di diverse società: la Entera corp del padre Wolfgang, la Global Oil Limited, l'Aviation News service e l'Omic limited. Tutte chiuse o nelle quali ha abbandonato ogni incarico.
L'affaire di Panama e la disputa con la Dassault
Prima dell'affaire indiano di Finmeccanica, il nome del consulente inglese salì all'onore delle cronache nel 2004, quando una compagnia panamense, la Keyser Incorporated, trascinò in tribunale il colosso francese degli armamenti Dassault.
LA COMMISSIONE MILIONARIA. La Keyser rivendicava il pagamento di una commissione milionaria per aver operato come mediatore, per conto della Dassault, nella vendita, da parte dell'azienda francese, di aerei Mirage all'Air Force indiana.
Il tribunale parigino titolare del fascicolo diede ragione alla Dassault, e la Keyser non ricevette il compenso che chiedeva.
Dietro la compagnia panamense si scoprì esserci proprio il misterioso Christian Michel, sul quale ora sono puntati gli occhi di molte procure italiane.
Martedì, 20 Novembre 2012
English translation :
Christian Michel, the English middleman of Finmeccanica
The son of a businessman close to Labour. It indicated as a mediator in India. Who is the mysterious consultant of the Group.
Gabriella Colarusso
He was convinced that he had cleaned up his computer from sensitive documents, Guido Ralph Haschke, and instead the prosecutor Chest Arstizio which investigates Indian Affairs of Agusta Westland, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, has been able to track down almost all the files on your hard disk. And so the consultant with dual passports, has not been explained to investigators that his truth.
THE INDIAN TRAIL. Haschke is under investigation for corruption and international money laundering in the investigation into alleged bribes paid by Agusta Westland in securing a contract to € 550 million from the Government of India.
On 13 November, when questioned by the magistrates of Chest hold the file, Haschke has revealed that he had paid money in most circumstances the former commercial director of Finmeccanica, Paul Pozzessere, and other managers of the Group, for advice. But also provided other elements useful for investigations concerning the trend in India.
THE TANGENT TO 51 MILLION. 550 million in the deal concluded with the Indian air force is investigating the hypothesis, Agusta Westland would pay 51 million euro of sovraffaturazioni. Money that, according to investigators, would be back in part to the availability of Haschke (20 million), and partly in the hands of Christian Michel, another mysterious consultant Finmeccanica, which would then shot some of the money, about 10 million euro, Giuseppe Orsi, CEO of Finmeccanica under investigation for corruption, to meet the demands of some political parties.
MICHEL, "MAN OF BEARS." Michel spoke for the first time in November 2011, Lorenzo Borgogni, former head of the external relations of the group in Naples pm, indicating the mediator English as a "man of Bears."
"On the occasion of this transaction," he said, referring to the Neapolitan pm Borgogni to order Indian, "was expected initial charge of € 40 million to be paid in two intermediaries, Guido Haschke and Christian Michel." Michel "was a man of Bears and that was what he had been appointed by Bears to return the money in the pockets of the same Bears."
But who is Christian Michel?
Michel's family and the closeness to the Labour Party
Born in 1961, British, Michel is little known to the public. On the Internet there are evidences of his business or his statements. Not a photo or an interview. Yet, as stated in Lettera43.it, Michel is very well introduced nell'establishment New Delhi.
His contacts are stronger especially with the Indian Defense, reports that the consultant aviation enthusiast has inherited from his father, Wolfgang Max Michel Richard, British businessman very active in India between the Years 80 and 90 and close to the Congress Party.
MR WOLFGANG AND RELATIONS WITH LIBYA. Mr Wolfgang died last August, but the figure has attracted the attention of several times the British media.
In 2003 he took charge of the British newspaper The Guardian, telling of pressure on the Labour Party by the Libyan government of Muammar Gaddafi to end the international isolation of Tripoli.
THE INTERMEDIARY OF COLONEL. The grandson of Colonel Ahmed Gadaff Al Daim, offered generous donations to the Labour party, who then refused, using as its broker Wolfgang Michel, his friend.
The entrepreneur had in fact good relations with the then party leader Tony Blair, having his daughter Caroline married Lord Matthew Evans, a big piece of the Labour Party, which then she got divorced.
BUSINESS WITH IRAQ, RUSSIA, IRAN. Wolfgang Michel has been doing business for years with some of the most controversial regimes, including Iraq and Iran and Russia, through its companies: Entera Corporation, which was also part of his son Christian, and an offshore fund based in Lichtenstein.
Carolina's daughter, sister of Christian, and former wife of Lord Evans, is one of the most powerful agents of literary English, owner of Peters Fraser Dunlop.
OLD POSTS. From the data of the British Chamber of Commerce, however, is that Christian Michel was director or director of several companies: the Entera corp's father Wolfgang, Global Oil Limited, the Aviation News service and OMIC limited. All closed or in which he abandoned his post.
L'affaire of Panama and the dispute with Dassault
First Indian Finmeccanica of the deal, the name of the British consultant went up in the news in 2004 when a Panamanian company, the Keyser Incorporated, dragged to court the French giant Dassault arms.
THE COMMISSION millionaire. The Keyser claimed the payment of a fee for a millionaire to function as mediator on behalf of Dassault, the sale by the French company, Indian Air Force Mirage aircraft.
The Paris court gave reason to the owner of the file Dassault, and Keyser not received the compensation he asked.
Behind the Panamanian company was found to be there the mysterious Christian Michel, which are now focused on the eyes of many Italian prosecutors.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
...............................................................................
Wolfgang Richard Max MICHEL
Obituary
Wolfgang Richard Max, died suddenly on Monday 27th August 2012, aged 84. Beloved father of Caroline and Christian, adored grandfather of Tom, Merlin, Mabel, Aleric, Alois, Alienor. The Funeral Service will be held on Friday 7th September at The Little Oratory Chapel within the Brompton Oratory, Knightsbridge, London at 11am. All friends are warmly invited.
Published in The Times on August 31, 2012