New Delhi, Dec 18

A Delhi court Wednesday dismissed the application of a firm accused in the VIP chopper deal case, seeking defreezing of its bank account.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Ravinder Kaur dismissed the plea of Chandigarh-based firm M/s Aeromatrix Info Solution Pvt. Ltd., seeking release of money from its bank account.

The court said the allegation against the accused firm were serious in nature.

"The investigation is at crucial stage and in view of the nature of the allegation against the applicant and the evidence collected by the CBI till date, I am not inclined to release the remaining 50 percent of both the accounts of the applicant seized by the CBI during the investigation of this case," the court said.

The company requested the court to defreeze its account, saying it was not able to pay salaries to its staff.

The accused firm and its CEO Praveen Bakshi were booked by CBI, which also registered a complaint in March this year against 12 people in the VIP chopper deal, including former Air Force chief S.P. Tyagi.

Four firms - Finmeccanica, AgustaWestland, IDS Infotech Ltd. (India) and Aeromatrix - were also booked. Investigations are on into bribery allegations in the Rs.3,600 crore deal for 12 AW-101 choppers.

By:IANS