A Delhi court on December 20, 2025, ordered the release of British arms dealer Christian Michel James from custody in the Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering case tied to the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, invoking Section 436A CrPC after his seven-year detention exceeded the maximum seven-year penalty under PMLA. Extradited from Dubai in December 2018 and accused as the key middleman who allegedly received €30 million in kickbacks to sway the €556 million 2010 deal for 12 helicopters, Michel remains jailed pending a CBI corruption case hearing on December 22. This ruling highlights protracted probes spanning 12 years, raising alarms over delays in high-profile defense trials that undermine India’s procurement transparency and expose vulnerabilities to foreign influence in strategic aviation assets critical for national security.