ED attaches Rs 15.32 cr assets of Khaitan-linked company

New Delhi: The ED on Thursday attached assets worth Rs 15.32 crore of one KRBL Ltd in connection with money-laundering charges, related to its investigation into irregularities in an aircraft deal between the Government of India and Embraer SA, Brazilian plane manufacturer. The attached assets include a land rice mill factory located at Tehsil Dhuri on Punjab's Sangrur.

The Enforcement Directorate had initiated investigations under PMLA on the bases of a CBI FIR, which alleged that the Brazil-based aircraft manufacturer had engaged the services of a middleman named Vipin Khanna to secure the contract for supplying EMB-145 aircraft to the Indian

government as part of the Airborne Early Warning and Control Project.

The central agency investigating money-laundering charges in the case has found that Embraer SA had allegedly paid the kickback worth around Rs 15.32 crore to KRBL Ltd, through a Dubai based subsidiary called KRBL DMCC. The ED has also alleged that AgustWestland accused Gautam Khaitan had a role to play in rerouting the kickbacks for this deal (amounting to approximately Rs 26 crore), given his position as a Director in KRBL Ltd.

Alleging that Khaitan was a known associate of CBI -accused Khanna, the ED further alleged that part of the Rs 26 crore kickbacks were routed to Khaitan's KRBL Ltd in India by sending it through KRBL DMCC in Dubai, which was then sent to a Rawasi Al Khaleej General Trading LLC in Dubai, which was again sent back to KRBL DMCC. This then allowed the Dubai subsidiary to send the money to KRBL Ltd in India, disguised as dividend.