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Author: Ritu Sarin
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: April 8, 2006
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/2041.html
Introduction: Brother & Cong MLA Arvind Khanna confirms Aditya left for London, ED which was interrogating him is clueless
In what could severely embarrass investigative agencies on the trail of the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal in which former Foreign Minister Natwar Singh lost his job, one of the prime suspects and the "mastermind" behind the money transfers, Aditya Khanna, has quietly left India for London.
This despite the fact that the Enforcement Directorate had asked immigration authorities-just days after Khanna returned to India for interrogation last month-to suspend his passport.
''While Aditya's passport was not impounded, instructions were subsequently issued to suspend the use of his passport. It is thus an invalid document which could not be used by him to take a flight in or out of India. Somebody has allowed him to depart,'' said an official.
Aditya, a London-based businessman, is the brother of Congress MLA from Sangrur Arvind Khanna.
As first reported by The Indian Express on February 6, Aditya was identified by the Enforcement Directorate-after an agency team returned with documents from Iraq-as the man who allegedly received Rs 8 crore from Swiss firm Masefield. This was the firm that lifted 2.9 million barrels of oil in lieu of vouchers to Hamdaan Exports (of Andaleeb Sehgal, close friend of Natwar Singh's son Jagat Singh) and the Congress party as mentioned in the Volcker report.
Sources said ED will soon take "official note" of Aditya's continued absence from New Delhi and his return to London. At least on two occasions this past week, officials said they expected Aditya to show up for questioning but it was only his lawyer who appeared only to tell the agency that Aditya was in Mumbai and unwell.
Aditya Khanna's brother, Arvind Khanna, confirmed that his brother had left for London. He said the family didn't think there was a need to inform the ED of his departure. ''My brother gave all assistance to the ED, he appeared before them some six or seen times and asked when he would be needed next. When there was no next date fixed for his re-appearance, he left for London some 10 days ago,'' he told The Indian Express tonight.
Asked about the status of Aditya Khanna's passport, his brother said: "If his passport was invalidated or suspended as the ED claims, how was he allowed to leave?...He will come back as soon as they want him to.''
Why Aditya Khanna is key: 'mastermind' to payoffs
o ED says he is the key to the surcharge payments to Indian beneficiaries.
o He got Rs 8 cr from Masefield which lifted oil in lieu of vouchers to Congress and Hamdaan Exports, as per Volcker report
o Khanna, ED says, used two companies with bank accounts in Luxembourg and London to route the surcharge money to Jordan National Bank and then to Indian beneficiaries.
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