New Delhi, November 6
In a major blow to External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh’s
entreaties of being clean in the UN’s-Oil-for-Food programme in
Iraq, the probe into the Volcker Committee report got underway here
today with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioning Hamdan Exports
Director Andleep Sehgal, believed to have played a key role in the
deal.
Mr Sehgal, a friend of Mr Natwar Singh’s son Jagat Singh, went to the ED office in the forenoon and the questioning was supervised by agency’s chief Sudhir Nath. It continued till late in the afternoon.
Sources said Mr Sehgal had ignored summons over the past 48 hours in spite of these having been served at his two residences in South Delhi. The security agencies had on Saturday issued a lookout circular against him so that he did not slip out of the country.
Mr Sehgal and his Hamdan Exports are named in the UN report by the Volcker Committee as having paid $ 748,540 to a Jordanian bank as “illegal surcharge” for Iraqi oil, with the money eventually reaching the then Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
The payments were made on behalf of a firm Masefield against oil rights allotted under the oil-for-food programme to Mr Natwar Singh and the Congress, according to the Volcker report.
Mr Natwar Singh’s son Jagat Singh admits Mr Sehgal is a friend, but denies business dealing with him. He has rubbished the allegation and rejected demands for resignation over the issue saying he enjoyed the confidence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
However, a question mark hangs over Mr Natwar Singh’s continuance in office with the Prime Minister engaged in discussions for the third straight day today with ruling UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and his senior ministers on containing the fallout of the Volcker report.
