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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 accused

Meanwhile, 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 –........

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