ED attaches assets worth Rs 538 cr of Jet founder Naresh Goyal, others in London, Dubai

The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached properties worth Rs 538.05 crore in connection with its probe in an alleged money laundering case against Jet Airways (India) Ltd. According to a statement by the probe agency, the attached properties include 17 residential flats/bungalows and commercial premises in the name of various persons and companies including Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, his wife Mrs Anita Goyal and son Nivaan Goyal, Jetair Private Limited and Jet Enterprises Private Limited, situated in London, Dubai and various states of India. The development comes a day after ED on Tuesday submitted its prosecution complaint (chargesheet) against Naresh Goyal, who was arrested in September, for alleged money laundering of a loan given to the airline.

The money laundering case stems from the first information report (FIR) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Jet Airways, Goyal, his wife Anita and some former company executives of the now-grounded private airline in connection with the alleged fraud case. 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 the same. He also formed a web of the companies in India through which he has 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. Salaries of Goyals’ residential staff and operational expenses of a production company of his daughter were also paid from the accounts of JIL.