Money laundering: Jet founder Goyal seeks court nod to undergo endoscopy at private hospital

Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, arrested in a money laundering case linked to an alleged bank loan fraud, on Tuesday sought a special court's permission to undergo endoscopy procedure at a private hospital in Mumbai. The special court directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing the case, to respond to his plea on Wednesday. The 74-year-old businessman, in jail for more than four months, was earlier this month permitted by the court to undergo a slew of medical tests at a private hospital here.

On Tuesday, Goyal filed an application before a special court hearing matters pertaining to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), saying he has been advised to undergo endoscopy, a procedure that allows a doctor to visually examine the interior of a person's body. The medical imaging technique is used to diagnose diseases in different parts of the body.

The promoter of the now defunct private airline sought to be taken to the hospital on January 26 from the Arthur Road Jail in central Mumbai where he is currently lodged. Goyal was arrested in September 2023 by the ED, which claimed he had laundered money, siphoning off loans given to Jet Airways by Canara Bank to the tune of Rs 538.62 crore. The money laundering case stems from an FIR of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Jet Airways, Goyal, his wife Anita and some former executives of the now-grounded carrier in connection with the alleged bank fraud.