‘HSBC arranged for opening of accounts abroad and withdrawal from Delhi itself’
India Against Corruption (IAC) released on Friday “the
modus operandi” for transfer of undisclosed funds to Swiss banks as
disclosed in the statements of three persons who had opened accounts in
Dubai, Zurich and Geneva with HSBC Bank. They were named in a list of
700, which was shared by the French government in a compact disc with
the Indian government last year.
The names of the 10
VIPs, including the Ambanis, Congress MP Anu Tandon, Jet Airways chief
Naresh Goyal and the Burman brothers of the Dabur Group, were among the
700 whose names were not revealed by the government. The accounts held
by them pertained to 2006.
IAC members Arvind
Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan said Parminder Singh Kalra and Praveen
Sawhney, who gave their statements, were based in Delhi, while the third
person, Vikram Dhirani, was from Ghaziabad.
The
persons, who were questioned under Section 132 (4)/133A of the Income
Tax Act, 1961, revealed the modus operandi of the “underground banking”
system or the ‘hawala’ network (money transferred but not moved).
As
per the papers released by IAC at a press conference here, Mr. Dhirani
said in his deposition that he had opened an account with HSBC in Dubai
in 2005 and closed it in 2006. A bank representative came to him in
Delhi to open an account. He did not travel to Dubai for opening or
operating it. The formalities was completed in Delhi. He agreed that a
person authorised by bank officials would collect the cash from him,
which would show up in his HSBC account in Dubai. After the money was
deposited, Mr. Dhirani was given a confirmation. However, no document
was given.
IAC said the statement revealed that Mr.
Dhirani told income tax officials that he had deposited about Rs. 12
crore in alleged unaccounted income in the Dubai account over a period
of time. The account was closed in 2006, and the money was withdrawn and
given to him in Delhi. Neither did he go to Dubai to collect the cash,
nor did he arrange for his representative to take the cash on his
behalf. “The bank officials arranged for delivery of cash… in India.”
According
to IAC, Mr. Kalra opened an account with HSBC, Zurich, on the advice of
a Swiss investment consultant based in Zurich. To make deposits of
undisclosed money to the tune of Rs. 8 crore-Rs. 9 crore, he gave the
cash in instalments to a person in Delhi. Every time, a different person
came to collect the cash for being remitted in the Zurich branch of
HSBC. The account was closed in 2008-09 even while he remained in Delhi.
“The
statement shows,” Mr. Kejriwal said, “that bank officials are providing
illegal channels for transfer of cash from their client account-holder
in Delhi to Zurich and vice versa.”
He said Mr.
Sawhney, who had opened an account with HSBC, Geneva, told income tax
officials that his father had transferred $ 1.8 million to this account.
“Regarding the modus operandi for withdrawal of money, Mr. Sawhney said
he used to call the bank officials in Geneva who would arrange for
delivery of cash in India through their agents in the hawala channel.
All discussions with the bank officials were on the phone. Every time he
asked for cash, a different person used to come to deliver it and he
knew none of them.”
- The Hindu News
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