10/03/2025

MONDAY | MAR 10, 2025

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Bribery case accused refuses bail

NEW DELHI: A British national accused in a high-profile money laundering case has refused to accept bail granted to him by an Indian court, claiming he does not feel safe outside prison. Christian Michel James, who was extradited from Dubai in 2018, is alleged to have been the middleman in a multi-million-dollar bribery scandal related to the AgustaWestland helicopter deal. He has spent more than six years in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail awaiting trial and was recently granted bail by the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court. However, during a court hearing on Friday, Michel made it clear that he would not accept bail, citing threats to his life and a lack of security in the Indian capital. o Lawyer says Briton cannot leave without passport

“For me, Delhi is just a larger prison,” he told the court of Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal. “There have been attempts on my life twice.” Michel, who was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences for hip surgery last month, alleged that an incident took place during his treatment. The court acknowledged his concerns but insisted that once bail had been granted, there was no legal basis to continue his detention. “But you have gotten bail,” the judge noted, to which Michel responded, “That is my point, your honour. I would rather serve my sentence and continue the trial via video conferencing from a safe country.” Michel’s refusal to step out of jail is unusual, as most detainees fight for bail. His lawyer, Aljo K. Joseph explained to The Independent that his client is unwilling to be released because his passport has been seized, preventing him from leaving India. “He is not refusing bail,” Joseph clarified. Michel reiterated that he would only be

comfortable if the court explicitly outlined his sentence so that he could serve it and leave the country. However, the court pointed out that sentencing could only occur once the trial was concluded. The Delhi High Court’s bail order required Michel to furnish a bond of Rs500,000 (RM25,330) and a surety of the same amount while surrendering his passport. However, his refusal to accept bail complicates his legal status. When court asked if he could arrange a safe house for himself in India, Michel said he would require his own security and did not see how he could manage that. “The problem I am having is with the police,” he alleged. Despite being held in custody for more than six years, Michel’s trial has yet to begin, which his legal team argues is a clear violation of his right to a speedy trial. “The investigation started in 2013. The investigation is still not complete,” Joseph said.

SINGAPORE: The trial date for the Singaporean charged in a US court with stealing and laundering over US$230 million (RM1 billion) in cryptocurrency last year, has been set for Oct 6. Malone Lam, 20, appeared in court in Washington DC on Friday. Lam and his accomplice, Jeandiel Serrano, 21, were arrested and charged in September last year. According to the indictment, they were alleged to have conspired with each other and others to carry out cryptocurrency thefts and launder the stolen cryptocurrency through exchanges and mixing services. They would fraudulently gain access to victim’s cryptocurrency accounts and transfer the funds into their possession. They are alleged to have fraudulently obtained over 4,100 Bitcoin (worth more than US$230 million at the time) from the victim in August 2024. For each offence, Lam faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to US$250,000, or twice the amount of his gains from the scams. – Bernama Cryptocurrency theft trial fixed for Oct 6 THREE HELD FOR SMUGGLING FIREARMS JAKARTA: Police have arrested three suspects and seized a large cache of firearms and ammunition in an effort to disrupt the smuggling of weapons to rebels in Puncak Jaya, Papua. The weapons, intended for a group led by Lerimayu Telengen, were intercepted following a week of surveillance by the Damai Cartenz Task Force and Papua Police. The main suspect, Yuni Enumbi, 29, was arrested on March 6 in Keerom Regency, along with a lorry driver and his assistant, who claimed to be unaware of the cargo’s contents. Authorities also seized 369.6 million rupiah (RM108,786) in cash. – Bernama BEIJING: China’s military said yesterday it would tighten its “noose” around Taiwan if separatism over the island escalated, warning proponents to step back from the “precipice” or face a “dead end”, state media reported. Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and has not ruled out using military force to claim it. “The more rampant ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists become, the tighter the noose around their necks and the sharper the sword hanging over their heads will be,” army spokesman Wu Qian said. – AFP In February 2025, India’s Supreme Court granted him bail in the CBI case. – The Independent CHINA ARMY WARNS AGAINST SEPARATISM “They are looking for something that does not exist.” Michel is accused of being a key intermediary in the controversial 2010 deal between India’s Defence Ministry and Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland for the purchase of 12 luxury VVIP helicopters, a contract worth over €556 million (RM2.6 billion). Investigators allege that bribes were paid to Indian officials to secure the contract and that Michel received commissions amounting to €30 million. The Enforcement Directorate, India’s financial crime-fighting agency, alleges Michel played a pivotal role in routing illicit funds and using shell companies to disguise payments. He has been charged under India’s Prevention of Money Laundering Act and is also facing charges under the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for corruption-related offences.

BR I E F S

ON THE GROUND ... President Prabowo Subianto (centre) visiting a flood-affected area in Bekasi, West Java on Saturday. Torrential rains last week hit Jakarta and its surrounding cities, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate and authorities to use weather modification technology. – AFPPIC

Families of MH370 victims in China seek end to ‘torment’ BEIJING: Relatives of Chinese passengers lost on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 gathered in Beijing on Saturday seeking answers from authorities 11 years after the plane disappeared. The Boeing 777 carrying 239 people disappeared from radar screens on March 8, 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Two-thirds of the passengers were Chinese, while the others were from Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and elsewhere. Despite the largest search in aviation history, the plane has never been found. Malaysian embassy in Beijing, the road to which was sealed off by at least 20 police officers. The attendees shouted in unison “Give us back our loved ones!” Some held placards asking “When will the 11 years of waiting and torment end?” Police presence was particularly heavy in the area with officers shooing journalists away and warning them to stop taking photographs of the demonstration. The plane’s disappearance has long been the subject of theories.

A final report released in 2018 pointed to failings by air traffic control and said the course of the plane was changed manually. Cheng Liping hoped that China would be able to communicate more with Malaysia to uncover the truth. “Everyone has been left trapped in pain. What exactly happened is still unknown,” said Cheng, whose husband had been in Malaysia for a film shoot and was returning to China on MH370. When asked what she would tell her husband if given the chance, Cheng, a mother of two boys, said there was “so much I want to say.” “I just hope that no matter where you are, you are healthy, and that we can reunite soon.” – AFP

But Transport Minister Anthony Loke last month announced that maritime exploration firm Ocean Infinity had resumed the hunt for the missing plane. Family members said they had been in the dark about the new search. “It was promised that we would be informed immediately (but) we can only find out about this kind of news online,” said 68-year-old Li Eryou before meeting representatives from China’s transport and foreign ministries. “Many families don’t even know how to access this information, so they are completely unaware,” said Li, who lost his 29-year-old son on the plane.

Jiang talks to media on Saturday. – AFPPIC

Jiang Hui, whose mother was on the plane, said that he was still in the dark about the new search. “When will it start? Where will the search take place? How long will it last? What discoveries have been made? What theories led to the decision to restart the search?” Jiang told reporters. He hoped the search will “bring an end to the 11 years of suffering”. The grieving families also gathered on Saturday at an intersection in front of the