Wolfgang Michel’s son Christian Michel – the brother of the literary agent Caroline Michel – wanted by Interpol over bribery
Always dressed in a Savile Row suit, Milner Street, Knightsbridge resident Wolfgang Michel was a regular at PJ’s in London’s Fulham Road. He shared his views about Germany and Judaism with anyone who’d listen and once showed me a copy of Mein Kampf that – for some strange reason – he had in his briefcase. Now, three years after this businessman’s death, his son, Christian James Michel, is a marked man and wanted by Interpol over a bribery scandal over a £408 million defence contract in India.
Chelsea and Dubai based Christian Michel – whose “exceptionally connected” sister Caroline Michel is the chief executive of the literary and talent agency Peters Fraser & Dunlop and chairwoman of the Hay Festival – is, according to the investigative news site Exaro News, is alleged to have acted as a middleman for the supply by AugustaWestland of twelve helicopters to the Indian Air Force.
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It is suggested that Michel received some “£21.9 million, partly destined to support the corrupt activity meant to win the order and partly meant to implement the contract” and that the Italian police captured information about his role in the deal in bugged telephone conversations.
54-year old Michel – whose father was also involved in an attempt by Colonel Gadaffi to donate £10 million to the Labour party between 1998 and 2001 according to The Guardian – previously was banned from being a director of any UK company for seven years in 2004. At the time, he admitted to “unfit conduct” by causing an investment company he was involved in, Entera Corporation, “to trade to the detriment of its creditors”.
Interpol’s “red notice” for Christian Michel’s arrest can be viewed here.
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Readers have their say
9 comments
Caroline Michel should get one of her authors to write a book about her dodgy brother
I remember Wolfgang Michel. He was angry with the world and unpleasant but even he doesn’t deserve a son like this. He makes both Mark Thatcher and Kevin Maxwell sound like saints and poor Caroline Michel would do well to change her name.
What a lovely bunch!!!!!!!!!!! NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Surprise, surprise… Over at Exaro… No comment from Caroline Michel. She must be very upset and embarrassed.
Not defending him, he is probably a right scumbag, but just worth pointing out that if Britain genuinely prevented bribery in defence contracts as opposed to occasionally throwing the odd sacrificial lamb to Interpol and the press, I can tell you right now that military equipment sales which contribute to a important chunk of our GNP would dry up overnight, that is an unavoidable fact of life. Anyone who has ever done business with India or the Middle East will attest to the simple fact that bribery is a way of life. To attempt to sell anything of this magnitude without it is simply impossible, the sale would go straight to the Yanks or the French neither of who give stuff. No backhanders means no sales and a lot of skilled British workers on the dole. The whole issue of pretending to be shocked by bribery in the arms industry is a smokescreen. Just pointing out the other side of this particular coin.
With regard to my above post, I should clarify that although AugustaWestland is an international company, a contract of this nature still represents a massive cash haul for Westland Helicopters at Yeovil for manufacture and ongoing parts supply. That said, my general point covers all UK arms sales, most of which involve entirely British made products the manufacture of which are massively important to our economy and support 300,000 skilled jobs.
And not just arms sales. I suspect that in those countries where corruption is deeply embedded selling any high value capital item requires palm greasing. This is why these countries are in such a state and become virtually ungovernable.
We all thought Brazil was the wonder child of S. America, but as soon the tide of money retreated we see the evidence of massive corruption exposed.
With that much money in the bank I am sure he can persuade the keenest policeman to suffer an attack of blindness and take sudden early retirement. I doubt if he will be swapping his plastic lounger for a prison cell.
The main purveyors of bribery are the Brits for a long long time. Absolute rascals.First they installed a Brit stooge in Neru before carrying out the bribed deals in India.
Very sad.