Panaji, Jan 28 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) here has threatened to file a defamation case against a local English daily and British national for tarnishing its officials' reputation.
References were made in the British Parliament Tuesday about the woes of British nationals, whose properties have been frozen or confiscated by the ED in Goa. It was subsequently reported in a local English daily.
ED spokesperson Pravin Pawar, in a formal press statement issued Wednesday, threatened to file defamation suit against the daily and a British national for "tarnishing the reputation of its officials".
On Tuesday, Britain's Conservative MP Tim Loughton, who represents the East Worthing and Shoreham constituency in South East England, raised in the parliament the issue of bogus complaints against British nationals who have purchased land in the coastal state of Goa.
Loughton also cited a specific case where he claimed two Britons were inconvenienced due to the seizure of a hotel which they had purchased in the south Goan village of Canacona, 100 km from Panaji.
He added that the issue also concerned several hundred British nationals who had purchased property in Goa, the transactions which are now in peril.
"The subject has potential to ruin the parents of one of my constituents and apparently affect 100s of others who are invested in property in Goa," he said, adding that British nationals were "frustrated by lack of action by Indians and Goan officials" also alleging "blatant corrupt practices at work".
Loughton also said that he had raised the issue with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as well as Goan Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, but to no avail.
In 2008, the state government had asked the ED to probe nearly 480 cases where land in Goa was purchased by foreigners using allegedly fraudulent means (before 2008) following official enquiries revealing that several revenue and Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) foreign investment norms had been allegedly flouted in these real estate transactions.
The government also froze sale of land to foreigners in Goa, pending the completion of the ED probe, especially after a police probe revealed that a coastal property in Morjim, 30 km from here, had been purchased by a company partly owned by Russian nationals with alleged mafia links.
Land deals conducted by foreign nationals pre-2008, worth over Rs.7 crore are being probed by the ED.
Currently, around 200 are under various stages of investigation, while 22 properties which had been illegally purchased had been confiscated by the agency.
In many of the cases, the owners of the confiscated property had gone in appeal before the Special Director (Appeals) in Mumbai.
Loughton Tuesday also named an appellate official in the ministry of finance, based in Mumbai, for having demanded a bribe of Rs.10 lakh from the British hotel owners in his address in British Parliament.
The ED in their statement has claimed that the Appellate authority is not an official of the agency.
"No official of the Enforcement Directorate Goa Office was named by Tim Loughton for extorting money from British nationals. He had named the appellate authority based in Mumbai who is not an ED official," the ED said.
Media reports have named two ED officials, who are allegedly involved in an extortion racket, pressurising the foreign nationals to shell out money in exchange for regularising their confiscated property, a charge that Pawar has denied.
The ED official has claimed that the department would file a defamation suit for "tarnishing the reputation of its officials by malicious reporting and by not bothering to check the facts either with the department or with the complainant".
The fight against the second wave of Corona in the country has intensified. Because of this, a re
Through the new government, BJP has tried to appease the regional and caste groups of Delhi. By m
In the 37th match of IPL 2022, Lucknow defeated Mumbai by 36 runs. Once again Kieron Pollard's ba
Mars Orbiter mission extended for another six months
Bengaluru, March 24 (IANS) India's maiden Mars Orbiter mission was extended for another six mon
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said India will continue to maintain relation
The BCCI selectors on Friday announced the Indian team for the two-Test series against New Zealan
Weather Update: The mercury has started falling due to snowfall in the hilly areas. Be it Kashmir
Iran's President said- foreign enemies are giving poison to schoolgirls, part of the conspiracy
In Iran, a case of poisoning many girls to prevent them from going to school had come to the fore
Priyanka Chopra: Priyanka Chopra's bold photoshoot with husband Nick Jonas goes viral, see photos
Every act of Priyanka Chopra is amazing. Whether she shows great performance in every film and lo
WhatsApp's new Privacy Policy The Central Government today told the Delhi High Court that the dif
