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Why did Ratan Tata's name crop up in the Benjamin Netanyahu scam probe?

Ratan Tata's office has denied the reports saying that the claims were "factually incorrect and appear to be motivated."

February 16, 2018 / 02:18 PM IST
Ratan Tata

Ratan Tata

After his name figured in the Israeli Police's recommendations seeking to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for corruption, Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata's office has dismissed those reports which claimed he and Hollywood producer Arnon Milvhan made huge profits as collaborators in a project sanctioned by Netanyahu.

"According to the police, the most glaring example of Netanyahu working against Israel's interests to benefit Milchan was his efforts (to) promote a free trade zone on the Israel-Jordan border, a project the Hollywood producer sought to promote as part of his partnership with Indian Industrialist Ratan Naval Tata," as per a report in Israeli media outlet Ynetnews. 

Recently, Netanyahu and his wife Sara were accused of receiving  'gifts' from billionaire benefactors - Ratan Tata, Israeli-born Hollywood producer Milchan and Australian resort owner James Packer.

“The reports in the media of a ‘partnership with Arnon Milchan’ and the claim of ‘a huge profit’ are both factually incorrect and appear to be motivated. Tata project’ being referred to in the Israeli media was a proposal received by Tata in 2009 from the Israeli establishment. It sought the assistance of the Tata organisation in preparing a concept plan, as part of a broader peace initiative with Palestine, for a low volume automotive assembly plant on the banks of the Jordan river,” read the Tata statement.

The statement added that the plan foresees the establishment of a free trade corridor to Haifa to facilitate exports and offset higher logistics costs in Israel.

The project plan however did not reach the detailed planning or costing because the peace project was not executed. All the proposals are believed to have fizzled out. When Tata visited Tel Aviv on November 1 last year, he  met a team of Israeli investigators where he was made aware of these developments.

Last year, the Israeli media had reported that Tata "testified" before the Israeli police in connection to these allegations.

first published: Feb 16, 2018 02:13 pm

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