The union government's statement on AgustaWestland: There was no bilateral meeting between PM Modi and his Italian counterpart Matteo Renzi at UNGA in September 2015," the MEA said on the AgustaWestland issue. "Various cases under Prevention of Corruption Act, PMLA is being pursued against James Christian Michel (Agusta deal middleman) by India," the MEA said.


Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley denied reports of Prime Minister Narendra Modi striking a deal with his Italian counterpart to free two Italian marines accused of killing Indian fishermen for information on the "Gandhi family'.


Jaitley also said the investigation in the VVIP chopper scam is in an "advanced stage'. The remarks came after Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad questioned if a deal was struck between Modi and his Italian counterpart, Matteo Renzi.