New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) late Wednesday night raided the residence Naresh Goyal, the founder of the now-grounded Jet Airways, in Mumbai. The raid was conducted in connection with an alleged money laundering case against Goyal, which is being probed by the agency.
The ED action came on the basis of a First Information Report (FIR) filed against Goyal and his wife Anita by a travel company that has accused the couple of cheating it to the tune of Rs 46 crore. It further registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against the Goyals and Jet Airways.
The agency also recorded his statement under a section of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and also registered a case against him under the same, thus making it the first time it has booked Goyal for the alleged money laundering.
Separately, the ED is also probing Goyal over alleged violations of certain sections of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) after Abdu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways invested $150 million in Jet. A preliminary inquiry, in connection with this particular case, was launched in early 2019.
Last August, ED officials had raided 12 properties belonging to Goyal in Mumbai and Delhi, reportedly unearthing links between him and foreign bank accounts with huge amounts of money in them.
Last May, the Goyals were stopped from boarding a flight to London at the Mumbai Airport after a lookout circular was issued against them. The development came two months after they resigned from Jet Airways’ board of directors, with Goyal also quitting as chairman.
