As part of its probe into claims of money laundering against the bankrupt airline Jet Airways, the Enforcement Directorate has attached property valued at Rs 538 crore, the agency said in a statement on Wednesday.
Naresh Goyal, the founder of Jet Airways, and five other people were named in a chargesheet that the ED filed on 31 October. The ED detained Goyal on September 1st in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Canara Bank said that loans granted for the airline were misused for the borrower's personal expenses and debt repayment.
He is being held at the Arthur Road jail under judicial custody right now.
Advertisement
According to the ED, the attached properties are located in London, Dubai, and several Indian states. They comprise 17 residential apartments, bungalows, and commercial spaces registered in the names of different companies and individuals, including M/s Jetair Private Limited, M/s Jet Enterprises Private Limited, Goyal, his wife Anita Goyal, and son Nivaan Goyal.
Based on a written complaint from Canara Bank in Mumbai, the ED opened an investigation into the FIR filed by the CBI, BS&FB, Delhi. The complaint claimed that M/s JIL, its promoter, and directors had committed crimes including deception, criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and misconduct, resulting in a substantial non-performing asset (NPA) of Rs. 538.62 crore.
Advertisement
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has argued that the Goyal misused company funds by, among other things, paying salaries to a company his daughter floated, appointing members of his family as employees, and making unreported payments totaling approximately Rs 1,000 crore to foreign accounts.