Hasan Ali Case: ED questions congress leader Amalendu Pandey

NEW DELHI: Amalendu Pandey — the AICC member from Bihar who the Enforcement Directorate (ED) believes arranged for a passport to Hasan Ali Khan — also facilitated opening of a bank account in Singapore for diverting funds on behalf of Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.

After evading ED’s summons repeatedly, Pandey finally appeared before the agency’s Mumbai zonal office on Thursday for a prolonged spell of questioning on his role in siphoning Khan’s black money abroad. It was only because of the Bihar Congress leader that the Pune-based stud farm owner could obtain a passport from Patna after concealing crucial information and misrepresenting facts in April, 1997.

Pandey, ED sources said, came to know Khan through Kashinath Tapuria, the Kolkata-based businessman who, too, is now in jail. Aware that Khan’s earlier passport had been impounded on the orders of the Andhra Pradesh HC and that he needed to go to Singapore urgently, Tapuria introduced Pandey to him. Hasan Ali Khan’s urgency was to open a bank account to enable him to move a large amount on behalf of Khashoggi.

The arms dealer could not open an account on his own name, since he was blacklisted, and hence enlisted Khan’s services. Pandey ensured that Khan got a passport in a week in April, 1997, and advised him to travel by road to Kathmandu to avoid detection by immigration authorities. From Kathmandu, Khan, Tapuria and Pandey flew to Singapore. In Singapore, Tapuria contacted SC Sharma to help Khan open a bank account. Sharma enlisted the services of V Vishwanathan, a senior employee of SBC Bank.

Together, they deceived SBC Bank — which later merged with the Union Bank of Switzerland — into opening an account in Khan’s name. This account was soon to be used for diverting $1 billion, in three tranche, on behalf of Khashoggi.

Sharma also has an interesting background. In mid-1990 s, he had been charged by the Enforcement Directorate for hawala operations. He was then a resident of Kolkata, but managed to escape arrest by fleeing to Singapore. There is an arrest warrant still pending against him. Sharma runs a company by the name of ‘Steelmet’, which, ED suspects, is being used as a cover for his covert operations. He also has strong links with a clutch of Indian business magnates.

Political Link

Amalendu Pandey facilitated opening of a bank account in Singapore for diverting funds on behalf of Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi It was only because of Bihar Cong leader that Hasan Ali could obtain a passport from Patna after concealing crucial information Khan’s urgency was to open an a/c to enable him to move cash on behalf of Khashoggi.