Former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Thursday appeared before the CBI in connection with the Air India case. He reached the CBI headquarters around 11 a.m. to record his statement. He had refuted the allegation of his role in the case.
Deepak Talwar, an accused in the case, is already in the CBI custody.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has earlier recorded Mr. Patel’s statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on multiple occasions.
The allegation is that private and international airlines were given profitable routes to the detriment of the erstwhile Indian Airlines and Air India.
The ED alleges that Emirates, Air Arabia and Qatar Airways paid a total commission of about ₹272 crore to Mr. Talwar for the job. It has attached a Delhi hotel in the money laundering case and also filed a charge sheet.
