This Article is From Oct 31, 2023

Probe Agency Files Chargesheet Against Naresh Goyal, Others In Alleged Bank Fraud

Naresh Goyal was arrested by the ED on September 1 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and is currently lodged in Mumbai's Arthur Road jail.

Probe Agency Files Chargesheet Against Naresh Goyal, Others In Alleged Bank Fraud

Naresh Goyal is currently in judicial custody at a Mumbai jail (File/AFP)

Mumbai:

The Enforcement Directorate, or ED, filed a chargesheet against Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal and five others on Tuesday in the alleged fraud of Rs 538 crore at the Canara Bank.

Naresh Goyal was arrested by the ED on September 1 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He is currently in judicial custody and lodged at the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai.

The chargesheet against Goyal and others was filed in a court, which is likely to take cognisance of it tomorrow, a lawyer linked to the case said.

The money laundering case stems from the FIR of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Jet Airways, Naresh Goyal, his wife Anita, and some former company executives of the now-grounded private airline in connection with the alleged fraud.

The FIR was registered on the bank's complaint, which alleged that it sanctioned credit limits and loans to Jet Airways (India) Ltd to the tune of Rs 848.86 crore, of which Rs 538.62 crore was outstanding.

Earlier, during his remand hearing, the investigation agency had said that the Jet Airways founder siphoned off money from India to abroad by creating various trusts in foreign countries.

The investigation revealed that the accused has created various Trusts abroad and through those trusts, he purchased various immovable properties. The money for those trusts is nothing but the proceeds of crime (POC) siphoned off from India to abroad, it had said.

The ED said that their investigation further revealed that Goyal had purchased high-value properties in Mumbai and subsequently sold them. He also formed a web of companies in India through which he acquired a lot of immovable properties.

Citing an audit report, the ED has claimed that the loans availed by Jet Airways (India) Limited (JIL) were used for purchasing immovable assets such as furniture, apparel, and jewellery.

The salaries of the Goyals' residential staff and operational expenses of a production company of his daughter were also paid from the accounts of JIL.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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