London: On February 3, Adani Defence & Aerospace signed a memorandum of understanding with Italy’s Leonardo SpA to establish a helicopter manufacturing base in India for the armed forces. Leonardo is the rebranded Finmeccanica SpA – the Italian defence major blacklisted by India after allegations that bribes were paid to secure a 2010 order for 12 AgustaWestland VVIP helicopters. The contract was cancelled and the company forced to return payments received for three helicopters delivered, invoking an anti-corruption clause.Today, however, Leonardo appears rehabilitated and back in favour. The Adani-Leonardo MoU was signed in the presence of defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, signalling official endorsement. The partnership will manufacture Leonardo’s AW169M and AW109 TrekkerM helicopters in India, and provide maintenance, repair, overhaul and pilot training services.Leonardo née Finmeccanica’s red-carpet re-entry contrasts sharply with the continued imprisonment of its former consultant, British national Christian Michel, who has spent over seven years in Delhi’s Tihar Jail without charges being framed or trial commencing. According to the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED), Michel acted as a middleman and channelled bribes to secure the 2010 contract. He denies all charges.Segregating the accusedMeanwhile, several individuals and entities named in CBI and ED charge sheets as part of the alleged kickback chain have been segregated from trial proceedings. In an order dated December 18, 2025, special judge Sanjay Jindal allowed the CBI’s application to separate six accused, including Finmeccanica – now Leonardo – on the grounds that the original entity had been restructured and no longer appeared before the court.The CBI effectively argued that Finmeccanica had committed a crime, not the renamed organisation Leonardo. This position was accepted by the court. But then why did the Modi government pay a penalty and give a refund to Leonardo? In 2021, when India lifted its ban on the company, unnamed Indian officials had claimed that “Leonardo has given a letter withdrawing its claims on 350 million Euros for the cancelled order of the VVIP choppers.” But Michel’s Italian lawyer Rosemary Patrizi, speaking from Milan, told this reporter, “India paid 393 million euros to Leonardo. Of this, 250 million was in damages and the balance for the three helicopters that had been delivered.”Against this backdrop, it invites scrutiny whether the segregation of Leonardo from the trial proceedings coincided with – and potentially facilitated – its subsequent commercial re-entry into India, including the Adani partnership. The CBI’s November 2, 2022 application to segregate six individuals and corporates from Michel was adjudicated upon on December 18, 2025. Quoting the CBI, judge Jindal observed in his order that “it is stated that as per information the said entity has been restructured and converted to M/s LeonardoSpA and with the said restricting (sic) in place, there has been no appearance of accused no. 10 (namely Finmeccanica)’.Other accused separated from trial include Guido Haschke, Carlo Gerosa, IDS Information Technology & Engineering Sarl (Tunisia), Aeromatrix Info Solution Pvt Ltd (Delhi), and Intersteller Technologies Ltd (Mauritius).As per the CBI, they had been collectively complicit with Michel. But court records note that some entities had ceased to exist or could not be served.The judge noted of IDS, “it is stated that the said entity could not be served and in terms of the execution report, it is believed that said entity does not exists (sic)”. Regarding Aeromatrix, he concluded, “it is stated that the said entity has ceased to exist having been struck off and no appearance on behalf of the same has been entered post the issuance of the process by this court”; as for Intersteller, he recorded, “it is stated that the same has ceased to exists (sic) as its name was removed from the Registrar of Companies w.e.f. 28.03.2013″.The judge was essentially repeating what the CBI had presented. Given the fact that the CBI and ED have failed to prove culpability even after 13 years of investigation, it is hardly surprising that such companies have, if they were guilty, managed to erase their tracks.Amusingly, the judge commented, ‘to preserve the right of all other accused to a speedy trial guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, the present application to segregate the trial has been filed’. Michel has already spent more time behind bars than what is under Indian law a maximum sentence for conviction for bribery, namely seven years.Background to AgustaWestland acquisitionMichel’s counsel, Aljo Joseph, argued that selectively excluding co-accused jeopardised the fairness of proceedings, particularly when documents allegedly implicating others would not be tested in court. He also cited findings from Italy’s highest court, which acquitted former Finmeccanica executives Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini for insufficient evidence, and observed that investigations revealed no role attributable to Michel in determining operational requirements of the contract.Court papers reveal that Joseph annexed a ‘confidential document’ to substantiate his argument that Michel had not been involved. It said, ‘The PMO in December 2003 (meaning the Indian Prime Minister’s Office when Vajpayee was head of government) observed that framing of such mandatory ORs (operational requirements) had effectively led the acquisition into a single vendor situation. Subsequently, the SQR (supplier quality requirements) was reformulated to align with the essential requirements for VVIP transportation in Indian conditions. The SQR was revised from 6000 metres to 4500 metres as PM and President have rarely made visits to places involving flying at altitudes beyond 4500 metres. The SQR was deliberated (upon) extensively by Air HQ with the NSA (Brajesh Mishra), SPG (Special Protection Group)/PMO and MoD (Ministry of Defence). The revision of SQR also ensured multi-vendor participation.’With the 6,000 metre specification, only Russia’s MI-17, a Eurocopter (Airbus) model and the US-made Sikorsky (though this is not mentioned) met the requirement. The Russian helicopter was disqualified on some technical grounds, resulting in one vendor remaining. This is when Mishra, SPG and MoD intervened with the height capability change, which brought Agusta into the mix.Reports claimed Haschke and his partner Gerosa (and by implication Michel) influenced Indian authorities in 2006 to change the height capability requirement. This, the confidential report described, as ‘incorrect’.Joseph pleaded, ‘If Haschke is not participating in the trial, and those documents are not confronted with him the trial itself is a nullity’.Joseph reminded the CBI court that Michel was ‘discharged’ by Italy’s highest court; whereas he alleged ‘the electronic surveillance’ by Swiss police of a ‘conversation between Guido Hashcke and his partner Carlo Gerosa’ was ‘clinching proof of illegal connection and business’.Michel’s counsel also said, ‘It is further submitted that Mr Hashcke subsequently said in public that he has lied before the court for business reasons.’The judge conceded, ‘It is necessary to mention at the very outset that no specific provision of law has been mentioned by applicant/CBI either in the title or in the prayer clause of the present application’. However, he averred, ‘I am of the considered opinion that it would be in the interest of justice as well as fair and speedy trial that the application… for separation of trial/proceedings is allowed’.The VVIP helicopter order was hastily and perhaps unwisely cancelled by the UPA government’s defence minister A.K. Antony in Januarry 2014 after charges of middlemen being involvement were hurled by the opposition. The AgustaWestland helicopters were arguably the best machines in the market for the intended use. Both the Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh governments concurred on this.Michel appeals to British governmentIn 2018, two senior executives of Finmeccanica, Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini, who faced trial in Italy, were acquitted on the grounds of ‘insufficient evidence that the facts (of culpability) exist’.Regarding Michel, a long-standing and senior consultant to Finmeccanica, who was not an accused in the case, the judges observed ‘the investigation has not revealed any role attributable to Michel in the phase relating to determination of the operational requirements of any contract (direct or indirect)’. This can only be interpreted as he not being associated at the contract negotiation stage.The Government of India was party to the Italian court proceedings and was consequently expected to honour the verdict. Modi chose not to by pursuing and obtaining Michel’s extradition from Dubai, where he was based.On December 4, 2018, Michel was blindfolded, handcuffed and forced into a private jet to Delhi. He has been lodged at Tihar since, other than being in the CBI and ED’s custody for a month, during which he was allegedly coercively interrogated.Michel has consistently denied all charges. His British and French lawyers complained to the United Nations Human Rights Commission that he was asked by the CBI in Dubai to confess in writing that he bribed Sonia Gandhi, in lieu of which he would not be pursued as an accused any longer. The CBI officer at the centre of his allegation, Rakesh Asthana, has denied this claim.Writing from Tihar Jail in Delhi to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on January 30, 2026, Michel shared a report by jail authorities which admitted there was at least one instance of poison in milk served to Michel in prison; but that this was accidental and intended to harm another prisoner called ‘Sartaj’, not the Briton.Michel disclosed to Starmer he had been ‘moved to 3 different jails (within the Tihar complex) for my security’, adding, ‘Today I have four cameras in my cell and have (a) 24h guard… Today in jail I am more safe than I was.’He concluded, ‘My right is to be released and I need the British government’s help.’ British diplomats were scheduled to discuss the matter with their Indian counterparts in Delhi this week.Ashis Ray was editor-at-large of CNN. He is the author of The Trial that Shook Britain.