A Kerala-born Norwegian businessman, Rinson Jose, owns a company called Norta Global, which has been connected to the sale of pagers that were involved in explosions in Lebanon.
Rinson Jose, a businessman from Kerala living in Norway, has been accused of selling pagers linked to the Lebanon blasts through his company, Norta Global, according to the Hungarian news site Telex.
Kerala-born Norwegian businessman Rinson Jose has been accused of selling pagers linked to the Lebanon blasts
When contacted by Reuters, Rinson Jose declined to comment. Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s national security agency launched an investigation into the allegations and on Friday denied that the company had any role in supplying pagers to Hezbollah.
Authorities stated that the owner of the company had “not been involved in any transactions related to the sale or purchase of the pagers” or anything connected to “terrorism financing laws.”
Meanwhile, the Kerala Police and central government agencies have conducted a background check on Jose’s family in his hometown of Ondayangadi, Kerala.
Rinson, the son of tailor Moothedath Jose and Gracy, lives in Norway with his wife. His brother works in the UK, and his sister is a nurse in Ireland. According to his uncle Thankachan, the family hasn’t been able to reach him for the past three days.
Although Bulgarian authorities have cleared Rinson Jose of any involvement, Norway’s intelligence agency (PST) and Oslo police are still investigating.
In addition to owning Norta Global, Rinson’s LinkedIn profile shows that he has worked at Oslo-based DN Media Group for five years and has extensive experience with various brands and publications.
Kerala-born Norwegian businessman Rinson Jose and his company, Norta Global, have been linked to the sale of pagers used in deadly blasts in Lebanon, according to a report from the Hungarian news site Telex.
Norta Global, based in Sofia, Bulgaria, deleted its website on Thursday, which had advertised its technology consulting services. Their office also could not be located at the registered address.
Rinson Jose declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. The Bulgarian national security agency investigated the claims and stated that Norta Global had no involvement in supplying pagers to Hezbollah. They also said the company’s owner had not engaged in any transactions that violated terrorism financing laws.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Police and central government agencies conducted a background check on Rinson Jose’s family in his hometown of Ondayangadi, Kerala. His uncle said the family has been unable to contact him for three days.
Although Bulgarian authorities cleared Rinson, Norway’s intelligence agency and the Oslo police are still investigating.
Rinson’s LinkedIn profile shows he has worked at Oslo-based DN Media Group for five years and has experience with various brands and publications.
The pagers involved in the Lebanon blasts, which targeted Hezbollah, were linked to several global companies, including the Taiwanese brand Gold Apollo. However, Gold Apollo’s president claimed that a Hungarian company, BAC Consulting, made the pagers under a licensing agreement. BAC Consulting has also come under scrutiny, as it didn’t appear to be active or have a proper office.
The pager explosions in Lebanon killed 12 people and injured hundreds, with similar blasts in Syria resulting in 14 deaths.
The blasts have been linked to Israel, and Hezbollah officials have vowed to retaliate, as part of the ongoing conflict between the two groups.