ED: TMC paid little-known company Rs 160 crore to buy a jet & helicopter

ED
i vestigatio
i to
a
Kolkata-based
aviatio
compa y.

NEW
DELHI:
A
ED
i vestigatio
i to
a
Kolkata-based
aviatio
compa y
has
fou d
that
the
Mamata
Ba e jee-led
T i amool
Co g ess
allegedly
fu ded
Rs
160
c o e
f om
the
pa ty’s
coffe s
to
a
little-k ow
fi m,
Ca ewell
Aviatio
I dia
Pvt
Ltd,
to
buy
a
Emb ae
jet
a d
a
Agusta
VIP
helicopte ,
which
it
subseque tly
e ted
out
to
TMC
fo
Rs
187
c o e.Sou ces
said
the
mo ey
lau de i g
p obe
was
focused
o
TMC
p ovidi g
a
i te est-f ee
secu ity
deposit
of
Rs
88.5
c o e
to
the
aviatio
compa y,
which
had
o
fu ds
to
buy
the
jet
a d
the
choppe
it
the
gave
to
the
pa ty
o
e t.
As
soo
as
it
eceived
the
secu ity
deposit,
Ca ewell
Aviatio
t a sfe ed
it
to
its
offsho e
e tity,
Ca ewell
Flyjet
IFSC
Pvt
Ltd,
egiste ed
i
Guja at’s
Gift
City,
t eated
as
fo eig
te ito y,
fo
fu the
pu chase
of
the
jet
a d
the
helicopte .A othe
fu d
t a sfe
of
ove
Rs
16
c o e
f om
Cayma
Isla d
a d
elated
to
the
deal
is
u de
i vestigatio .TMC
was
equi ed
to
pay
Rs
186.9
c o e,
exclusive
of
GST,
fo
usi g
the
jet
ove
72
mo ths
a d
the
choppe
fo
56
mo ths.
Although
it
did
ot
fully
utilise
the
mi imum
gua a teed
flyi g
hou s
u de
the
cha te
ag eeme t,
the
pa ty
we t
o
to
hi e
ai c aft
a d
helicopte s
f om
othe
compa ies
du i g
this
pe iod
(2021-26)
fo
a
sum
of
Rs
149
c o e,
sou ces
said.

Whe
co tacted,
a
TMC
sou ce
said,
“Si ce
the
matte
is
sub
judice,
we
do
ot
wa t
to
comme t.”The
“suspicious”
atu e
of
t a sactio s
has
led
ED
to
delve
i to
the
issue
of
why
TMC
paid
a
i te est-f ee
secu ity
deposit
of
Rs
88.5
c o e
whe
it
had
to
pay
cha ges
fo
e ti g
the
ai c aft
a d
helicopte .
The
ag eeme t
p ovided
that
TMC
pay
a
mi imum
mo thly
cha ge
of
Rs
90
lakh
fo
the
ai c aft
a d
Rs
60
lakh
fo
the
helicopte .Ca ewell
Aviatio
came
i to
bei g
o ly
a
few
mo ths
afte
TMC
etu ed
to
office
fo
the
thi d
time
afte
the
Ap il
2021
assembly
electio s.
The ,
afte
losi g
the
assembly
polls
i
2026,
TMC
paid
th ee
mo ths
adva ce
e tal
to
the
compa y
to
cove
the
pe iod
till
Sept
2026:
somethi g
that
the
age cy
says
is
co t a y
to
the
o m.Sou ces
said
ED
has
questio ed
di ecto s
of
Ca ewell
Aviatio
ove
these
t a sactio s
a d
eco ded
thei
stateme ts
o
issues
such
as
why
it
cha ged
TMC
Rs
16.5
lakh
pe
flyi g
hou
fo
the
jet
a d
whe
it
billed
othe s,
who
had
ot
helped
it
with
somethi g
as
c ucial
as
a
secu ity
deposit,
a
much
lowe
amou t
of
Rs
7.6
lakh
pe
hou
fo
flyi g
Emb ae .I vestigatio s
also
showed,
sou ces
said,
that
TMC
paid
Rs
75
lakh
pe
flyi g
hou
to
a othe
cha te
se vice,
Wi dbo e
Aviatio ,
fo
hi i g
a
Falco
2000
ai c aft.
TMC
used
the
Falco
ai c aft
fo
o ly
about
11-12
flyi g
hou s
but
paid
Rs
9.1
c o e,
which
was
oughly
Rs
75.7
lakh
pe
flyi g
hou .Acco di g
to
sou ces,
the
mo ey
t ail
showed
that
ove
Rs
160
c o e
was
t a sfe ed
to
Ca ewell
Aviatio
a d
its
g oup
e tities
betwee
July
2021
a d
Ju e
2026
fo
“cha te
se vices”
fo
the
Emb ae
ai c aft
a d
the
Agusta
choppe .
I vestigato s
suspect
the
t a sactio
to
be
a
“a tificial
comme cial
a a geme t”
a d
a
“calculated
device”,
be eft
of
a y
ge ui e
actual
fi a cial
atio ale,
co side i g
that
the
two
ai c aft
we e
allegedly
pu chased
e ti ely
out
of
the
co pus
eceived
f om
TMC,
a d
the
two
aviatio
assets
we e
e ted
back
to
the
pa ty.

The
jet
was
pu chased
two
mo ths
afte
the
cha te
ag eeme t
was
sig ed
a d
secu ity
deposit
p ovided.
Simila ly,
the
cha te
ag eeme t
fo
the
VIP
helicopte
was
sig ed
by
TMC
i
Ma ch
2025
while
the
choppe
was
pu chased
a
mo th
late
i
Ap il.Ca ewell
Aviatio ,
which
was
i co po ated
o
Sept
14,
2021,
with
Pawa
Jaju
a d
Ramesh
Jaju
as
its
di ecto s,
pu chased
the
Emb ae
Legacy
600
ai c aft
o
Ju e
6,
2023,
a d
the
Agusta
109
G a d
helicopte
o
Ap il
17,
2025,
usi g
its
offsho e
e tity.

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