AgustaWestland case: Dubai court orders extradition of middleman Christian Michel to India

A court in Dubai on Monday dismissed the appeal of the alleged middleman in the Augusta Westland helicopter case, which now opens up the possibility of Christian Michel being extradited to India. 

The UAE Court of Cassation upheld the orders of the lower court that had given the ruling earlier that Michel can be extradited from UAE to India.

Michel's lawyer argued in their appeal that proper procedures had not been followed by the Indian authorities, but these appeals were dismissed by the court. 

Christian Michel is under the custody of the UAE government and his passport has



been seized by the authorities in Dubai.

With Dubai's top court upholding the lower court's decision, it has become final but it will need approval from the UAE Minister of Justice for the extradition procedure to start.

India officially made the request to the Gulf nation sometime back for his extradition, based on the criminal investigations conducted in the case by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate. 

The ED, in its charge sheet filed against Michel in June 2016, had alleged that he received about 225 crore rupees from AgustaWestland.