The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday told a Delhi court that alleged middleman Christian Michel, arrested in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, had taken the name of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi while in custody.
According to media reports, the ED informed the court that Michel spoke about the "son of the Italian lady" who would become the "next prime minister of the country", a reference to both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Michel was produced before a special court which extended his ED custody by seven days.
Media reports reveal that the agency also told the court that they need to “decipher who is this 'big man' referred to as 'R' is in the communication between Christian Michel and other people”.
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The agency had also told the court that Michel was misusing the liberty of legal assistance during his interrogation by passing chits to his lawyers asking how to tackle questions on Sonia Gandhi.
The ED said that his custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the larger conspiracy in the case.
Michel, who was extradited from Dubai recently, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on December 22 and sent to seven days custody of the agency over money laundering charges in the scam after he was produced in a court in Delhi.
He was earlier lodged in Tihar Jail in the related CBI case.
(with PTI inputs)