Govt not making efforts to bring back Jatin Mehta to face law due to Adani link: Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday accused the government of making no efforts to bring back absconding diamantaire Jatin Mehta to face the law in India, and asked whether he was being provided "protection" due to his relationship with the Adani family.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate alleged that Mehta "swindled" Rs 7,000 crore from Indian banks and fled the country "from under the nose of" Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"He (Mehta) not just fled the country but also took citizenship of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Caribbean, and a 'No Objection Certificate' was issued by the Indian government.

"No effort is being made to get him back...to probe him...to make him face the law and the legal system of this country. I want to emphasise on the links that exist between Mr. Jatin Mehta and the Adani scam, which has now come to the fore," Shrinate alleged.

Jatin Mehta is the owner of Winsome Diamonds, Forever Precious Jewellery And Diamonds and Su-Raj diamonds, she noted.

"Mehta uses exactly the same route that people like Mehul Choksi or Nirav Modi used, which was to import gold on the basis of letters of credit from Indian banks. They made it into jewellery and this jewellery was then exported to Dubai. It's shocking that the 13 companies to which this jewellery was exported in Dubai were eventually all owned by Jatin Mehta and his family," Shrinate alleged.

It was said that those companies refused to make the payments and which is why that money turned into losses, she added.

"Actually, that money was swindled by Jatin Mehta and family. That money belongs to honest taxpayers of this country, it is the money that belongs to public sector banks of this country, it's the money for which the ED and the CBI should be running from pillar to post but nothing is happening on that," the Congress leader alleged.

She claimed that Mehta has a direct link to the "Adani scam".

Shrinate also alleged that he had links with some shell companies based out of Mauritius that pumped money into the Adani Group. She also alleged links with a "suspicious" Chinese national.

Will the Indian government now probe Jatin Mehta further and the eventual question is -- who does Rs 20,000 crore belong to, she asked.

The Congress has alleged that Rs 20,000 crore was invested in the Adani Group through "shell companies", a charge denied by the conglomerate.

The Opposition led by the Congress has been seeking a joint parliamentary committee probe after the US-based Hindenburg Research made a litany of allegations against the Adani Group, including fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation.

The Gautam Adani-led group has dismissed the charges as lies, and said they comply with all laws and disclosure requirements.