New Delhi, March 21
The CBI has registered a case against Mr Vincent George, Personal Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, for possessing assets worth crores which were disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The case against Mr George, who was the Private Secretary to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi between 1984 and 1990, was registered last evening.

According to the FIR, during the preliminary investigation, the allegations of possessing disproportionate assests during the period he was a public servant have been “substantiated”.

The FIR also points out that Mr George was in possession of movable and immovable assets worth Rs 18,82,417 till December, 1990.

After December, 1990, when Mr George ceased to be a public servant there was a quantum increase in the assets of his wife Ms George and his two minor children, the CBI has alleged.

“The purchase of these assets has been facilitated because of various cash gifts from abroad supposedly from their close family members and others,” the agency said.

“These very heavy cash gifts had started coming in right from June, 1991. Notable amongst these gifts is a deposit of Rs 125 crore in November, 1991, Rs 41 lakh in December, 1991, Rs 70 lakh in December, 1992, Rs 20 lakh in March, 1995, Rs 71 lakh in January 1996 and Rs 30 lakh in March 1997 and Rs 25 lakh in November 1999,” the FIR said.

“The claim that these are business transactions of the two firms of Ms Lilly George, Lilliens Exports and Diana Agencies, does not hold much water, since ground verification has revealed that there is no such business activity infrastructure that should generate so much of income,” the CBI said.

“The statement of Ms Lilly George herself reveals that these business were active only for a period around 1991/92,” it said.

The properties purchased by the family of Mr George, most probably with these funds are two-and-a-half storied house at Anand Niketan, New Delhi (for Rs 85 lakh), the first floor of a commercial property at Defence Colony, New Delhi (for Rs 9.45 lakh), two shops at World Trade Centre, Connaught Place, New Delhi (for about Rs 10.5 lakh), property at Neb Sarai village, New Delhi (bought and sold by Ms George’s father for Rs 32 lakh), flat in a housing society in Delhi (for 5 lakh), agricultural land in Delhi (Rs 1,14,000), four properties in Bangalore (Rs 8,99,000) and agricultural land in Bangalore (Rs 5,95,000), the FIR said, adding that the total paper value of these assets is approximately Rs 1.58 crore.