ED searches premises of Jet Airways’ Naresh Goyal, Hasmukh Gardi

MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday searched over a dozen premises linked to the defunct Jet Airways and its erstwhile promoters Naresh Goyal and Hasmukh Gardi here and in Delhi in a case of foreign exchange violation.
Gardi and Goyal were the Indian directors of Tailwinds Ltd, a company incorporated in Isle of Man, through which Goyal controlled Jet Airways. In 2013, Goyal transferred the shares of the airline from Tailwinds to himself.
The grounded airline has defaulted on loans of over Rs 8,000 crore and lenders led by State Bank of India have launched bankruptcy proceedings against it in the National Company Law Tribunal. The agency suspects the duo diverted a major portion of the bank loan abroad by inflating payments abroad and through fictitious transactions. It is exploring the possibility of registering a separate money laundering case against the company and its promoters.