New Delhi, July 31: In a strange turn of events, an important witness in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case who was declared dead a day ago will appear before the court on Thursday. A day after the investigators, Enforcement Directorate, told court that witness KK Khosla is possibly dead, the defense said that the witness in possession of certain essential documents is alive and will present himself in the court. Christian Michel Has Named Mrs Gandhi: ED Tells Court in Agusta Westland Case.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the agency told court that the witness was never to be found home whenever they went to his home and said that “Maybe he is dead.” AgustaWestland Case: 'Middleman' Christian Michel Sent to 7-Day ED Remand.

The agency took back its claim today, on Wednesday after the defense said that the witness is not just alive but also appear in the court on Thursday.

The agency has said that KK Khosla is in possession of some important papers which allegedly contains names of people who have taken bribes and the amounts mentioned.

The court asked KK Khosla to be present during the hearing on Thursday after the agency’s claim that he is important to establish links between the bribery and corruption charges.

Also, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday sought businessman Ratul Puri’s custody, asserting that he is trying to influence the witnesses in the AgustaWestland case. During the course of proceeding, special public prosecutor DP Singh, appearing on behalf of the law enforcement agency, told Judge Arvind Kumar that Puri has been stonewalling and has not yet said anything during the probe.

The AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case pertains to alleged irregularities in purchase of 12 VVIP choppers for Italy-based Finmeccanica’s British subsidiary AgustaWestland. The deal was scrapped by the NDA government in 2014 over the alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of payment of kickbacks for securing the deal.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 31, 2019 08:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).