The Mumbai Customs Department has seized two aircraft of Mukesh Ambani?s Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) ? including the famous Airbus A-319 he gave wife Nita as a birthday present in November ? saying the company had evaded duty amounting to Rs 60 crores while importing them.
The Airbus and a Falcon 900 EX, together valued at about Rs 400 crores, were seized on Thursday night and a showcause notice was issued to Reliance by an additional commissioner, a senior Customs official told Newsline .
The planes have been returned to Reliance for regular maintenance as the Customs Department does not have the facilities to keep them but they cannot be used without the department?s permission, said the official who did not want to be named.
?The aircraft were imported as non-scheduled carriers but were being used for private purposes. There is a difference in the duties charged,? the official said, adding that aircraft meant to be used as non-scheduled carriers attracted lower duty compared to those imported for personal use.
A Reliance entity called Reliance Commercial Developers imported the aircraft last year, he said, and added that the total duty on the two planes came to Rs 90 crores while Reliance had paid Rs 30 crores.
Reliance, on its part, said that the ?concerned department? had sent out notices to several other non-scheduled operators on the same issue as a matter of ?routine procedure?.
?As a part of this routine procedure, two of Reliance Commercial Developers? aircraft were detained and handed back to the company thereafter,? RIL said in a statement. ?Reliance is fully complying with all procedures as notified by concerned authorities.?