The CBI has sent a judicial request to Hong Kong seeking assistance in its probe into a racket allegedly involved in importing diamonds with inflated invoices worth Rs 156 crore to camouflage money laundering.
The CBI dispatched the letters rogatory (judicial request) to the Secretary for Justice, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, seeking details about transactions and accounts flagged during the probe.
After getting a go ahead from the Union Home Ministry as required under Section 166 A of the Criminal Procedure Code, the agency submitted its application before a special court in Mumbai which issued the LR.
The letters rogatory refers to a legal plea from a court of one country to another seeking assistance in the probe of a criminal case.
In January 2020, the agency had booked 17 individuals and companies, including three Mumbai-based senior Customs officials, for allegedly being part of a money laundering racket using over-invoiced import of diamonds worth over Rs 156 crore.
Since the diamonds were imported to India from Hong Kong, the CBI, through the LR, is seeking assistance from law enforcement agencies of that country to take the probe forward, officials said.
The case was referred to the CBI after a Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) probe found alleged involvement of Customs officials in the conspiracy.The DRI probe had alleged that Hong Kong-based businessman Girish Kadel had imported rough diamonds from Switzerland to Hong Kong in the name of his four companies.
Kadel, having Belgian passports and business interests in India, had exported some of these diamonds to India through 14 consignments in the name of two companies -- Antique Exim Pvt Ltd and Tanman Jewels -- showing over-invoiced value of Rs 156.28 crore.The DRI had found during revaluation that the actual value of the 14 consignments was just Rs 1.03 crore.
The CBI probe has revealed that Kadel allegedly conspired to import rough diamonds at highly exaggerated value with a view to siphon off the excess foreign exchange overseas to cover the differential cost of other imports as well as to park money abroad for unlawful activities.