12-07-2005, 03:27 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>ED team in Iraq to unearth or cover up? </b>
Pioneer.com
Pramod Kumar Singh/ New Delhi
Matherani, Sehgal quizzed together--- Amid the nationwide political upheaval over the Iraqi oil scam, a three-member Enforcement Directorate (ED) team led by Director Sudheer Nath left for Iraq on Tuesday to probe the allegations made by former Indian Ambassador to Croatia Aniel Matherani. But in their wake, they left behind a trail of unanswered questions. Â
Highly placed sources told The Pioneer that the ED Director would meet Iraqi Government officials to probe the role and the conduct of the Congress delegation that visited Iraq in 2001.
His brief is to ascertain whether there was any documentary evidence pointing towards the involvement of former external affairs minister Natwar Singh in receiving oil coupons from the Saddam regime.But whether the ED will get access to documents or the officials who were holding posts then is another question.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Another source claimed that the motive was to look for evidence that could be used to settle political scores with those running a relentless offensive against the UPA Government on the Volcker issue. </span>Incidentally, the Left parties had demanded that the ongoing Pathak Inquiry Authority should also cover transactions under Iraq's oil-for-food programme, which took placed during the NDA regime.
<b>The way the ED has conducted the whole probe has left a big question mark on the relevance of the Justice Pathak Authority and its jurisdiction. It was also not clear whether the UPA Government had completed the necessary diplomatic formalities and obtained the required go-ahead from the Iraqi authorities to allow ED access to the sensitive information it is looking for</b>.
<b>The ED's visit is also baffling because the Government had recently tom-tommed that its special envoy Virendra Dayal had returned with most documents which formed the basis of the Volcker</b> Report.However, <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>ED officials claimed that their team would look into the specific allegation of Mr Matherani that Natwar Singh was a direct beneficiary of the oil coupons. The ED team would also look into the business transactions of the 139 Indian companies, which benefited in the Oil-for-Food programme. Looking at all the diversionary tactics being employed, it seems an attempt is being made to expand the ambit of the probe and deflect attention from the political aspects</span>.
Meanwhile, <b>Mr Matherani was summoned a second day running by the ED brass for questioning and he was confronted by Andaleeb Sehgal, a relative of Natwar Singh.</b> Sehgal who is the director of Hamdaan Exports has also been named as a "non-contractual beneficiary" of Iraq's oil-for-food programme in the Volcker Report. Mr Matherani had alleged that Mr Natwar Singh was involved in getting oil vouchers for his son Jagat and Sehgal.<b> Mr Matherani was reportedly asked to quantify his allegations infront of Sehgal.</b>
ED sources said that Sehgal was asked to provide certain documents pertaining to his business and foreign exchange transactions. He arrived at the directorate's office in Khan Market at about 10 am, while Mr Matherani came in 90 minutes later. ED officials quizzed Mr Matherani and Sehgal together to pick up discrepancies. They were also questioned on whether there was any illegal transaction of foreign exchange in connection with the UN oil-for-food programme. The Directorate officials had questioned Sehgal for several days about a month ago after the findings of the UN-appointed committee were made public. They are likely to question Mr Natwar Singh's son, Jagat, also in this connection.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Only I can say now
Gali Gali may shor hai Sonia Gandhi chor hai
Pioneer.com
Pramod Kumar Singh/ New Delhi
Matherani, Sehgal quizzed together--- Amid the nationwide political upheaval over the Iraqi oil scam, a three-member Enforcement Directorate (ED) team led by Director Sudheer Nath left for Iraq on Tuesday to probe the allegations made by former Indian Ambassador to Croatia Aniel Matherani. But in their wake, they left behind a trail of unanswered questions. Â
Highly placed sources told The Pioneer that the ED Director would meet Iraqi Government officials to probe the role and the conduct of the Congress delegation that visited Iraq in 2001.
His brief is to ascertain whether there was any documentary evidence pointing towards the involvement of former external affairs minister Natwar Singh in receiving oil coupons from the Saddam regime.But whether the ED will get access to documents or the officials who were holding posts then is another question.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Another source claimed that the motive was to look for evidence that could be used to settle political scores with those running a relentless offensive against the UPA Government on the Volcker issue. </span>Incidentally, the Left parties had demanded that the ongoing Pathak Inquiry Authority should also cover transactions under Iraq's oil-for-food programme, which took placed during the NDA regime.
<b>The way the ED has conducted the whole probe has left a big question mark on the relevance of the Justice Pathak Authority and its jurisdiction. It was also not clear whether the UPA Government had completed the necessary diplomatic formalities and obtained the required go-ahead from the Iraqi authorities to allow ED access to the sensitive information it is looking for</b>.
<b>The ED's visit is also baffling because the Government had recently tom-tommed that its special envoy Virendra Dayal had returned with most documents which formed the basis of the Volcker</b> Report.However, <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>ED officials claimed that their team would look into the specific allegation of Mr Matherani that Natwar Singh was a direct beneficiary of the oil coupons. The ED team would also look into the business transactions of the 139 Indian companies, which benefited in the Oil-for-Food programme. Looking at all the diversionary tactics being employed, it seems an attempt is being made to expand the ambit of the probe and deflect attention from the political aspects</span>.
Meanwhile, <b>Mr Matherani was summoned a second day running by the ED brass for questioning and he was confronted by Andaleeb Sehgal, a relative of Natwar Singh.</b> Sehgal who is the director of Hamdaan Exports has also been named as a "non-contractual beneficiary" of Iraq's oil-for-food programme in the Volcker Report. Mr Matherani had alleged that Mr Natwar Singh was involved in getting oil vouchers for his son Jagat and Sehgal.<b> Mr Matherani was reportedly asked to quantify his allegations infront of Sehgal.</b>
ED sources said that Sehgal was asked to provide certain documents pertaining to his business and foreign exchange transactions. He arrived at the directorate's office in Khan Market at about 10 am, while Mr Matherani came in 90 minutes later. ED officials quizzed Mr Matherani and Sehgal together to pick up discrepancies. They were also questioned on whether there was any illegal transaction of foreign exchange in connection with the UN oil-for-food programme. The Directorate officials had questioned Sehgal for several days about a month ago after the findings of the UN-appointed committee were made public. They are likely to question Mr Natwar Singh's son, Jagat, also in this connection.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Only I can say now
Gali Gali may shor hai Sonia Gandhi chor hai