New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned senior executives of Air Asia including CEO Tony Fernandes next week for questioning in connection with a money laundering case, officials said Thursday.
The agency had registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against the airline and its officials in 2018.
Officials said while Fernandes has been summoned January 20, few others from the current and past management have also been asked to depose for questioning in the following days.
The executives have also been asked to bring along certain case-related documents when they appear so that probe in the case can be taken forward, the officials stated.
The ED probe is related to allegations that the airline tried to manipulate government policies through corrupt means to get international licence for its Indian venture Air Asia India Limited.
A case under the PMLA was registered by the ED in May, 2018 two days after CBI filed a criminal complaint to probe these allegations. ED is also probing this case under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
Air Asia India at present has flights connecting 21 domestic destinations and as per an aircraft fleet tracking website, it has a fleet of 29 Airbus A320 planes.
Investigation in the case was initiated on the basis of the claims of ousted Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry’s allegation that fraudulent transactions of Rs 22 crore, involving non-existent entities in India and Singapore, were carried out in an instance involving the airline.
PTI
