The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday submitted its Prosecution Complaint (PC) against Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal in an alleged money laundering case. A PC filed by ED is equivalent to a chargesheet filed by the police under the provisions of CrPC.
The chargesheet has been submitted against Goyal, his wife Anita, and four firms including Jet Airways and Jet Lite.
Sources added while the chargesheet has quantified the alleged proceeds of crime as ₹538 crore – the loss caused to Canara Bank – the ED is learnt to have told the court that they suspected a loss of as much as ₹5,700 crore caused to multiple banks by the accused. It has also sought additional time to probe the allegations detailed in the Panama Papers against Goyal and his family members and his dealings with UAE-based businessmen, Hasmukh Gardi, who was also the promoter of the airline.
Goyal was arrested on September 1 in a money-laundering case connected to allegedly defrauding Canara bank of ₹538 crores. He is currently lodged at Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail.
The ED’s case is based on an FIR filed by the CBI over the alleged loss caused to Canara Bank.
A predicate offence is a must for ED to probe a money laundering case.
In September, while seeking Goyal’s custody, ED said that payments of ₹1,152 crore made by the airline in the form of professional and consultancy fees between FY12 to FY18 were under its scanner.
