Key middleman's confession: Met ex-IAF Chief S P Tyagi 6-7 times

He has also claimed that he met Tyagi several times, both before and after the technical requirements of the contract were allegedly changed.

Of the 20 million euros, Haschke has claimed that 60 percent or 12 million euros was passed on to the three Tyagi brothers, the Delhi-based businessmen who have been named in the investigation report.

The remaining 8 million euros, Haschke says, was divided between him and his partner Carlo Gerosa who had been active in the Indian business sector for several years.

This is the first time a key middleman in the deal is admitting to receiving and distributing kickbacks. Italian prosecutors suspect that a total of 51 million euros was paid as kickbacks in the deal and Michel got 31 million euros.

"The agreement was made as an engineering contract equal to 5 per cent of the order. The real cost was of 1.5 per cent while the rest was actually the commission for me and Gerosa, to be shared in the following way: 60 per cent to the Tyagi family and 40 per cent between me and Gerosa," Haschke's confession reads.

Haschke has also claimed that he met Tyagi several times at the residence and office of his cousins named in the Italian report.

"I personally met (Air Chief) Marshal Tyagi 6 or 7 times...(Tyagi's cousin) Julie was also there with the other two brothers...the second time I met him again in Delhi in 2005. This time in the office of the three Tyagi brothers, who have a family business as they are businessmen," he has said.

S P Tyagi dismissed the statement saying there is "absolutely no truth" to them. "This is utter nonsense. There is no truth to this. It is correct that I met some people in my cousin's house but my visit was much after the tenders had been issued for the contract," Tyagi told The Indian Express.

... contd.

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