New Delhi

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea by alleged middleman Christian Michel James seeking release from jail in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam.

A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja said there was no merit in the petition filed by the British national, who was extradited from Dubai in December 2018. A detailed order is awaited.

In his plea, James challenged Article 17 of the India-UAE extradition treaty, arguing that an extradited individual should be prosecuted only for the specific offences for which extradition was granted, and not for related charges. The provision, however, allows prosecution for connected offences as well.

He had also contested a trial court order dated August 7, 2025, which rejected his application under Section 436A of the Code of Criminal Procedure seeking release after prolonged detention.

James argued that he had completed seven years in custody as of December 4, 2025, which he claimed amounted to the maximum possible sentence for the offences tied to his extradition, making his continued detention unlawful.

Following his extradition, James was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate, both of which are probing the case.

He is one of the three alleged middlemen in the deal, along with Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.

Although James was granted bail by the Supreme Court of India in the CBI case in February 2025 and later by the high court in the ED case, he remains in custody as he has been unable to meet the bail conditions.

The court had directed him to furnish personal bonds and cash sureties in both cases. It also instructed the Foreigners Regional Registration Office to ensure that he does not leave the country.

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According to the CBI, the chopper deal signed in February 2010 caused an estimated loss of 398.21 million euros (around Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer. The ED has alleged that James received approximately 30 million euros (around Rs 225 crore) as part of the deal.