The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday filed a chargesheet against civil aviation lobbyist Deepak Talwar and his son Aditya under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in airlines seat allocation scam.
Investigation against the Talwars under PMLA was initiated by ED in August 2017 on the basis of FIR registered by CBI against officials of Ministry of Civil Aviation, NACIL, Air India and unknown private persons.
To evade investigation, Deepak Talwar had fled the country. However, he was deported by immigration authority of Dubai on January 31, 2019 and subsequently arrested by ED under PMLA. Presently, he is undergoing judicial custody.
ED probe revealed that Deepak Talwar has been engaged in liaisoning/lobbying with politicians, ministers, other public servants and officials of Ministry of Civil Aviation for Emirates, Air Arabia and Qatar for securing undue benefits for them. He illegally managed to secure favourable traffic rights for these airlines during 2008-09 at the cost of National carrier, Air India.
The probe also revealed that in lieu of securing favourable traffic rights, these Airlines made payments to the tune of Rs. 272 crores to Deepak Talwar during 2008-09. Talwar created a web of his own entities and used companies of his son Aditya Talwar, in India and international offshore havens, to launder amount of Rs. 272 crores received from foreign airlines. Part of these payments were made to a bank account in Bank of Singapore belonging to a company Asiafield Limited, registered in the British Virgin Islands and beneficially owned by Deepak Talwar.