ED registers case against Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal under Prevention of Money Laundering Act

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a case against Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on the basis of a complaint lodged with Mumbai Police. The investigating agency is also conducting raids at his premises, according to PTI.

The Enforcement Directorate also questioned Naresh Goyal after registering the case, PTI quoted ED officials as saying.

The First Information Report (FIR) against Goyal and his wife, Anita, was registered at MRA Marg police station in Mumbai for allegedly duping a Mumbai-based travel company of Rs 46 crore. A has been filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. The complaint was filed by Rajendran Neruparambil, chief finance officer of the Akbar Travels of India Pvt Ltd.

Goyal had left the post of Jet Airways Chairman in March 2019, making way for lenders to bail out on the financially troubled airline he had set up 25 years ago.

According to the case, the company had been doing business with Jet Airways since 1994. The complainant has stated that the accused concealed the financial crisis in their company and assured the travel company that they wouldn’t suffer any loss. The travel agency sold Manchester-Mumbai flight tickets on cheaper rates, on the assurances of the accused. However, in January last year, few Jet Airways flight got cancelled, forcing the complainant to approach the accused.

The complainant alleged that the accused continued to convince them about their financial well-being. This money, they claimed,would be siphoned off to India to pay back dues, the travel company stated, further adding that they suffered losses due to the assurances.

Previously, the ED claimed that Goyal’s organisation had 19 privately held firms, five of which were registered abroad. The ED is investigating charges that these firms allegedly made doubtful transactions under the act of selling, distribution and operating expences.

The probe agency had conducted raids, under the FEMA, in August 2019 against Naresh Goyal, his family and others.

Jet Airways, the full service carrier, was compelled to stop functioning on 17th April, 2019 because of acute financial crunch.

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