'The accused suffers from an acute stage of dyslexia and if needed the same can be proved by an independent medical examination. The accused is a foreign national and has lost all his property and business due to this case and allegations. He requires freedom from custody to organise documents to prove his innocence,' Aljo K Joseph submitted in the court on Wednesday
New Delhi: Christian Michel, who is accused in the AgustaWestland chopper scam, is suffering from ‘acute dyslexia’, his lawyer Aljo K Joseph told the Patiala House Court as the British national’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) remand ends on Wednesday.
Now, it is likely that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will ask for his custody on the basis of the case registered by the CBI.
According to the sources, when the CBI asked him to write, Michel refused and didn't cooperate with the investigators. He also failed to acknowledge his handwriting and told the investigators that he is not aware of the notes and diary, which were recovered from him.
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Dyslexia is a developmental disorder which can cause learning difficulty in one or more of the areas of reading, writing, and numeracy. Also called reading disability, dyslexia affects areas of the brain that process language.
Michel’s lawyer Joseph has also asked the court for 'humanitarian consideration’.
"The accused suffers from an acute stage of dyslexia and if needed the same can be proved by an independent medical examination. The accused is a foreign national and has lost all his property and business due to this case and allegations. He requires freedom from custody to organise documents to prove his innocence," Joseph submitted in the court on Wednesday.
"Due to the prolonged custody, he is mentally and physically weak. He is ready to abide by any conditions. If a time frame is given in which the accused has to be present for interrogation by this court he shall come and attend the proceedings, interrogation, how much ever stringent the timings are," Michel's lawyer said quoting it as 'humanitarian consideration' before the court.
On December 4, Michel was extradited to India from United Arab Emirates (UAE). India's investigation agencies were trying to bring him to India for a long time. National security adviser Ajit Doval oversaw the whole operation.
The CBI, during an investigation, recovered a handwritten note. The page has 13 short forms divided into 'Bur', 'Pol' and 'All'. Every column has six, two and five short forms which can be the names of the then top defence officials, top Congress leaders, ministers and bureaucrats.
In the note, amounts along with Euro signs are mentioned in each column. It has been understood that this was the amount paid to the ministers, bureaucrats and others by Michel in the Rs 3,600-crore scam.
In reply to Michel's bail plea, the CBI has said that there is a security threat to Michel and he has to remain in custody. "The applicant-accused is a British national and has no roots in India. There is every likelihood that if he is granted bail, he may abscond from India, evading the process of law and may not return back to face trial. The apprehensions of the CBI about his absconding from the process of law gets support from his past conduct. Keeping in mind the facts and circumstances, there also exists a security threat for the applicant-accused, if enlarged on bail," the CBI said in a statement asking the court to reject his bail plea.
Last Updated Dec 19, 2018, 1:48 PM IST