Confident Group managing director T A Joseph on Monday dismissed allegations that income tax officials had harassed the company, describing last month’s inspections at the group’s Bengaluru offices as routine.
“To my knowledge, the group has not faced any harassment from I-T officials. They treated us respectfully. Routine GST inspections have also been conducted in the past,” Joseph said during the group’s first press conference following the death of chairman C J Roy, 57, who died by suicide on January 30 while I-T inspections were underway.
Joseph strongly refuted rumours of violations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and the Foreign Exchange Management Act, emphasizing that Confident Group has no liabilities and that projects across Kerala and other regions are progressing smoothly.
Opening the press conference, Joseph stated he could not comment on Roy’s death due to strict instructions from Karnataka’s Special Investigation Team (SIT). “I worked with Roy for over 20 years. He was a strong motivator and brand builder, with over 40 lakh social media followers,” he said.
Addressing claims by Roy’s brother, Babu Roy, that the chairman was stressed due to I-T raids, Joseph rejected the notion. “We were with Roy constantly, and I personally do not believe he faced harassment. He was not someone to tolerate such behaviour,” he said. Joseph added that misleading information circulating about the group had caused unnecessary concern among clients.
No Film Industry Investments, Zero Liabilities
Joseph also clarified that no prominent film personalities had invested in the group. “There are no such investments. I reiterate, the group has zero liabilities,” he said. He highlighted the group’s financial stability, noting that it is debt-free and has maintained a reputable track record, even during the pandemic.
“Even during the pandemic, we recorded sales of `16 crore. Our projects continued without disruption, and we are satisfied with the ongoing SIT investigation,” Joseph said.
