India asks Britain to help investigate chopper scam

India has asked Britain to help investigate a VVIP chopper scam which involves British company Agusta Westland, during talks between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his British counterpart David Cameron Tuesday here. "I conveyed to Prime Minister Cameron our serious concerns regarding allegations about unethical means used in securing 2010 contract for Agusta Westland copters," Singh told the media after meeting with Cameron. "We have sought full assistance from UK PM Cameron and he has assured me of the cooperation of his government in the investigations." The scam broke out last week after Italian authorities arrested Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi for suspected corruption in the deal. Finmeccanica owns Agusta Westland which produces the VVIP chopper in its Sussex plant in southwest England. Indian Defense Ministry has issues a former show-cause notice to Agusta Westland to explain within one week why the 750 million U.S. dollar contract should not be cancelled. Local media reports said the scam involved a former Indian Air Force chief who might have got kickbacks as much as 75 million U.S. dollars