Choksi diverted over Rs 3,250-cr to foreign shores, sold jewellery at inflated prices: ED

Agencies
September 12, 2018

New Delhi, Sept 12: An ED investigation has found that absconding jeweller Mehul Choksi diverted over Rs 3,250 crore funds, allegedly defrauded from a PNB branch in Mumbai, to foreign shores and he was in business of "highly inflating" prices of precious metals sold from his outlets. The businessman has rejected the charges as "baseless".

The agency, which is probing the $2 billion (about Rs 13,000 crore) alleged bank fraud that also involved his nephew Nirav Modi, said Choksi was "using several dummy companies" to rotate funds and to divert money for his personal use.

In its chargesheet, the Enforcement Directorate has said Choksi allegedly diverted $56.12 million (about Rs 400 crore) of loan funds to Nirav Modi and about $50 million (Rs 360 crore approx) to Modi's father Deepak Modi.

"Choksi was using several dummy companies for rotating his transactions. Under this arrangement, origin of the sale transactions and final destination used to be any of the Gitanjali group of companies.

"For in-between transactions, dummy companies were used for layering purpose wherein only sale/purchase bills were created and no movement of goods used to take place. He has been doing this to project inflated turnover to avail higher banking facility," the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has said in its charge sheet filed against the absconding businessman who is stated to be in the caribbean nation of Antigua now.

Choksi, talking to some media organisations, has termed ED's allegations as "false and baseless". He has also alleged that this properties have been attached by the central probe agency "illegally."

The agency said it has detected that funds to the tune of Rs 3,257.54 crore, that were obtained from PNB's Brady House branch in Mumbai, were "diverted" to countries like Thailand, the US, Belgium, UAE, Italy, Japan and Hong Kong and were deposited in "group entity" firms.

These funds, it said in its probe report accessed by PTI, were "fraudulently obtained" by Choksi and his firms from the PNB by way of Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) and Foreign Letters of Credit (FLCs).

It also accused Choksi of grossly over-valuing the gems and jewellery that he sold.

"Choksi used to fix the rate/value of the goods without applying economic rationale. The goods in question were either low value or poor quality and was not commensurate with the price/value fixed by him," the ED said.

The charge sheet further said these charges have been "confirmed" in the statement given to it under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), by Vice President (banking operations) of Choksi's Gitanjali Group, Vipul Chitalia.

"It is further confirmed from the goods seized at Hyderabad whose declared value was found to be highly inflated and in some cases the actual value of these goods is even less than 3 percent of the declared value," the ED said.

The agency alleged the proceeds of crime of money laundering in this case involving Choksi were "partly remitted back to Gitanjali group of companies" in India in guise of export-import transactions for settling earlier credit liabilities.

"The proceeds of crime has also been used for making payment against the villa booked by Choksi in UAE and for transferring preferential shares of MS Bezel Jewellery (India) Pvt Ltd to Ms Al Burj Diamond and Jewellery FZE, UAE...," the charge sheet said.

It also charged Choski of conducting illegal 'air to air' export using the Gitanjali group, where consignments exported from India to Hong Kong and back were routed to Dubai but were not cleared through customs at the UAE airport and were exported to Hong Kong or India.

The ED report also said that "fraudulent export and import" was being done by Choksi's firms and there was "no manufacturing activity" in any of the overseas companies situated at Hong Kong and the UAE and only bogus business and sale amongst group companies were carried out.

"The export/import was also not genuine and was just rotational transactions. The jewellery exported from India was dismantled and diamonds/pearls were taken out of it," the agency charged.

The ED said, "It is apparent that the funds acquired by fraudulent means were siphoned off within the country as well as to the overseas dummy companies owned and controlled by Mehul Choksi himself."

"The dummy directors and others were mechanically transferring the goods and monies as per the directions of Choksi without any economic rationale and logic," the agency alleged.

The businessman has been also charged by the CBI for alleged corruption in this case and the ED has sought an Interpol arrest warrant against him apart from approaching a Mumbai court to get him declared a fugitive economic offender under a new law by the same name.

India has also recently moved for his extradition from Antigua.

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Agencies
February 16,2020

New Delhi, Feb 16: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal was on Sunday sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Delhi for the third time in a row at Ramlila Maidan here, after his party registered a massive victory in the recently concluded Delhi Assembly polls.

Kejriwal was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.

The sprawling Ramlila Maidan reverberated with sounds of thousands of people cheering for the AAP leader.

Kejriwal who received a hero's welcome here had extended an invitation to the people of Delhi urging them to attend the swearing-in ceremony to witness "the son of Delhi" taking oath today.

The AAP nearly repeated its 2015 performance in the elections, sweeping the Assembly polls winning 62 seats in the 70-member Assembly, in the face of a high-voltage campaign by the BJP, which fielded a battery of Union Ministers and Chief Ministers in its electioneering spearheaded by Home Minister Amit Shah. 

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News Network
February 3,2020

New Delhi, Feb 3: In the third such incident inside of a week, two unidentified persons opened fire outside Gate No. 5 of Jamia Millia Islamia on Sunday night, the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) said.

A statement issued by the committee, a group comprising students and alumni of the university formed to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, said the attackers were on a red Rcooty.

No one was injured in the attack. One of the miscreants was wearing a red jacket, the statement said.

"Firing has taken place at Gate No.5 of Jamia Millia Islamia right now by two unidentified persons. As per report, one of them was wearing a red jacket and driving a red Scooty having vehicle no. 1532 or 1534," the statement said.

Police said they were verifying the JCC's claims.

Asim Mohammed Khan, former Congress MLA from Okhla, said the incident occurred around 11.30 pm. "We heard the gunshot. That is when we stepped out to see and the two men left on a Scooty," a student said.

"We have taken down the vehicle number and called police," he added.

This is the third firing incident in the Jamia Nagar area in a week.

On Thursday, a minor fired at anti-CAA protesters marching towards Rajghat, injuring a student.

Two days later, a 25-year-old fired two rounds in air in Shaheen Bagh in Jamia Nagar. No one was hurt in the incident.

The incident on Sunday night triggered panic in the area. A police vehicle had reached the spot after the incident but was chased away by angry students.

Hundreds of students and locals gathered outside the university.

Many raised slogans against the Delhi Police. They also staged a dharna outside the Jamia Nagar police station.

Shezad Ahmed, a JMI student and resident of Zakir Nagar, said they were not even allowed to protest peacefully.

"We are not going to be deterred by such incidents. We will continue with our protest," he added.

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News Network
May 29,2020

New Delhi, May 29: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and informed him about the views of all chief ministers on the extension of the ongoing nationwide lockdown beyond May 31, officials said.

During the meeting, Shah briefed Modi about the suggestions and the feedback he received from the chief ministers during his telephonic conversations on Thursday, a government official said.

The nationwide curbs were first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 for 21 days in a bid to contain the spread of novel coronavirus. It was first extended till May 3 and then again till May 17. The lockdown was further extended till May 31.

The home minister's telephonic conversations with the chief ministers came just three days before the end of the fourth phase of the lockdown.

During his talks with the chief ministers, Shah sought to know the areas of concern of the states and the sectors they want to open up further from June 1, the official said.

Interestingly, till now, it was Modi who had interacted with all chief ministers through video conference before the extension of each phase of the coronavirus-induced lockdown and sought their views.

This was for the first time that the home minister spoke to the chief ministers individually before the end of another phase of the lockdown.

Shah was present in all the conferences of chief ministers along with the prime minister. It is understood that the majority of the chief ministers wanted the lockdown to continue in some form but also favoured opening up of the economic activities and gradual return of the normal life, another official said.

The central government is expected to announce its decision on the lockdown within the next two days.

The number of COVID-19 cases in India has climbed to 1,65,799 on Friday, making it the world's ninth worst-hit country by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Health Ministry said the death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 4,706 in the country. While extending the fourth phase of the lockdown till May 31, the central government had announced the continuation of the prohibition on the opening of schools, colleges and malls but allowed the opening of shops and markets.

It said hotels, restaurants, cinema halls, malls, swimming pools, gyms will remain shut even as all social, political, religious functions, and places of worship will remain closed till May 31.

The government, however, allowed limited operations of the train and domestic flights. The Indian Railways is also running special trains since May 1 for transportation of migrant workers from different parts of the country to their native states.

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