ED charges Natwar kin

NEW DELHI: The enforcement Directorate (ED) has accused Vipin Khanna, kin of former external affairs minister Natwar Singh who is under investigation in the Iraq oil-for-food scam, of endangering national security by receiving huge amounts of forex from arms deals with “enemy countries” and also raking in inward remittances from foreign companies in violation of Fema.

The seriousness of ED’s charge seemed to have dissuaded the Supreme Court from allowing Khanna’s plea for return of passport for travelling abroad. An apex court Bench comprising Chief Justice YK Sabharwal and Justice CK Thakkar on Friday granted ED 8 weeks to complete the probe against Khanna and inform the court of its outcome so that his plea for permission to travel abroad could be decided.

During the hearing on Friday, additional solicitor general (ASG) Gopal Subramanian opposed former attorney general and petitioner’s counsel Soli Sorabjee’s prayer that his client be allowed a few days’ leave from India to maintain his NRI status and receive medical attention.

Not only did Mr Subramanian produce probe documents in a sealed cover to substantiate his charge against Khannas that they had entered into defence deals in a manner jeopardising national security, but he also informed the court that one of the Khannas had written to the attorney general of Jersey Island, just after ED sniffed the money trail to the tax haven, not to part with bank documents when ED requests for the same.

It was only after a lot of persuasion from ED that the attorney general finally agreed to hand over the documents. The ASG told the court that he had already consulted the defence minister and was “prima facie satisfied that the matter was far more serious than what it appeared at the first glance”.