Ratan Tata denies links with man accused of bribing Israeli PM

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, February 15

Industrialist Ratan Tata on Thursday denied reports appearing in the Israeli media that he had entered into any business partnership with Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan, who is allegedly accused of bribing Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A statement issued on behalf of Tata by Tata Trusts said the Israeli establishment had sought the assistance of the Tata group in setting up a low-volume automotive assembly plant on the banks of the Jordan river as part of that country’s peace efforts with Palestine. “The intention was to provide skilled employment to Palestinians. To be viable, the plan envisaged the establishment of a free trade corridor to Haifa to facilitate exports and offset higher logistics costs in Israel,” the statement said.

According to Tata Trusts, the discussions on the project were directly held between a Tata team and the Israeli authorities and not with Arnon Milchan as has been reported in the Israeli media. “Ratan Tata wishes to clarify once again that there has never been any partnership in any such project with Milchan,” the statement added.

According to the statement the concept plan never reached the stage of detailed planning or costing as the peace initiative itself was not put in place because of which the car project “died a natural death”.

While on a visit to Tel Aviv on November 1, 2017 to address a conference on Mobility, Tata met a team of Israeli investigators at their request and enunciated these facts to them, the statement added.

Reports in the Israeli media had stated that Milchan was promoting a free-trade zone on the Israel-Jordan border as part of his partnership with Tata but against the advice of that country’s defence establishment.