Talwar had acted as a middleman in negotiations to favour foreign private airlines, including Qatar Airways, Emirates and Air Arabia, by making national carrier Air India give up profit-making routes and timings
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested corporate lobbyist Deepak Talwar on Friday in a Delhi in connection with an aviation scam being investigated by the agency. After arrest, the CBI sought custodial interrogation of Talwar over which Delhi court has sent him to seven-day custodial interrogation in the scam.
Talwar had acted as a middleman in negotiations to favour foreign private airlines, including Qatar Airways, Emirates and Air Arabia, by making national carrier Air India give up profit-making routes and timings. The deals allegedly took place during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance's (UPA) regime at the Centre.
Talwar has been booked by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate in criminal cases of corruption, while the Income Tax Department has charged him with tax evasion
Praful Patel, the civil aviation minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government when these deals took place, was named in the charge sheet along with Talwar by the Enforcement Directorate. He was recently grilled by the ED for 3 days in connection with the same case. According to sources, it has been alleged that these airlines made payments to the tune of Rs 272 crores to Deepak Talwar during 2008-09 to secure favourable traffic rights. The agency took Talwar into custody inside the courtroom moments after Special Judge Anil Kumar Sisodia dismissed his anticipatory bail application. Talwar, who was in judicial custody in a money laundering case related to the scam, was produced before the court in pursuance to a production warrant.
The CBI said that it had to find out the names of officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, National Aviation Company of India Ltd and Air India, who favoured the foreign airlines. After hearing the arguments, the court allowed the CBI to quiz Talwar in custody for a week.
It had earlier submitted a chart of total USD 60.54 million received by the firms directly or indirectly owned by Talwar between April 23, 2008, to February 6, 2009.
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