New Delhi: Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal has been in the news for alleged links with the underworld.
CNN-IBN spoke to Goel on the speculations about the mafia investing in Jet.
Said Noel, “Unfortunately this is completely wrong. I have spoken to Rajdeep Sardesai (Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN) and every body else saying that everything is false. We are going to start going to the USA soon.”
So what about the reports that the intelligence agency had sent to some government’s agency, would he deny that?
“There is no question of denying that. How would we be allowed if there was any truth in the reports? We have been cleared by the US state department and the government of India and are going to fly on August 5? Said Goel.
The Bombay High Court on June 21 had asked the Mumbai police to file a report on the alleged underworld link of Goyal.
The court gave the Police Commissioner two months to submit a report and also asked the department whether it wanted the Central Bureau of Investigation’s help.
The court was listening to a public interest litigation that alleges the Intelligence Bureau had found Goyal’s links with gangster Dawood Ibrahim and got funds from the underworld.
The US State Department in November 2006 allowed Jet to fly to America after denying it permission twice because of allegations that the airline had links with Dawood.
The Indian government conducted a four-month-long probe in 2006 and in June of that year cleared Jet and Goyal, saying that from the security angle nothing adverse was found against him.
The Union Home Ministry’s probe was in connection with Jet making an offer to buy Air Sahara—a deal which has since then been finalised. "Inquiries were conducted by various security agencies about the antecedents of Goyal and from the security angle nothing adverse was found against him," a senior official had said then.
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