Jet Airways has denied
the existence of any account in the name of its chairman Naresh Goyal in HSBC
Bank, Geneva, as alleged by India Against Corruption on Friday.
“There is no account
in the name Mr. Goyal in the Swiss bank… Besides, he has been a non-resident
Indian (NRI) since January 1991. He is entitled to have bank accounts outside
India. The suggestion that there has been any unaccounted money stashed away in
Swiss accounts is entirely false,” it said in a statement.
The airline said Mr.
Goyal had received a routine enquiry letter from the Income Tax Department
about a bank account at HSBC, Geneva, of M/S Tailwinds Ltd., a company based on
the Isle of Man. “The existence of the company… is fully disclosed to various
departments of the Government of India. All questions [from the Income Tax
Department] have been satisfactorily replied…”
The Burman brothers of
Dabur Group said in a statement that they opened accounts in foreign banks when
they were NRIs and were legally allowed to do so. Rejecting Mr. Kejriwal’s
allegations, the statement said: “It was unfortunate that every person having a
foreign bank account is painted with the same brush. We wish to state that
these accounts were opened by the Burman family members when they were NRIs,
and were legally allowed to open such accounts.”
Claiming that the
monies had been sent out of the declared and tax-assessed incomes earned in
India, the statement said the amounts had been remitted from India through
official banking channels and as per the guidelines under the Foreign Exchange
Management Act. “The complete details of the remittances have been voluntarily,
and as per law, filed with the Income Tax Department, and appropriate taxes
paid…”
On its part, HSBC Bank
has reacted cautiously to Mr. Kejriwal’s charge that it indulged in money
laundering.
The bank said it
viewed compliance with the law very seriously. “HSBC Bank in India notes
certain allegations made today [on Friday]. The bank cannot comment on the
specific details of the allegations…, which relate to issues in the past. HSBC
takes compliance with the law, wherever it operates, very seriously...” it said
in a statement.
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