Ratan Tata denies partnership with Milchan after being named by police

Indian billionaire Ratan Tata denies links to Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan after the head of the Tata business conglomerate was named by police in indictment recommendations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“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,” a statement from Tata’s office says.

The project in question was a 2009 proposal for Tata Motors, which includes the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, to build a low volume automotive assembly plant in the West Bank intended to provide skilled jobs to Palestinians. Netanyahu is suspected of pushing the project on behalf of Milchan, whose security firm Blue Sky International was set to assist in the planning.

“The prime minister is suspected of working to advance a business project that Milchan had a direct interest in being approved as part of his partnership with Indian businessman Ratan Tata,” police said, recommending to charge Netanyahu and Milchan for a number of bribery schemes in which Milchan allegedly gave the prime minister expensive gifts in return for political favors.

Tata’s statement insists “these discussions on the project were directly held between a Tata team and the Israeli authorities and not with Arnon Milchan as stated by the Israeli media. Tata wishes to clarify once again that there has never been any partnership in any such project with Milchan.”