New Delhi: The Congress party launched an attack on the central government over the issue of shielding its “favourite industrialists in an alleged scam in the import of coal worth Rs. 29,000 crore and sought for a “fair and impartial” probe by SIT.
Questioning the reason behind Prime Minister Modi’s silence in discussing the issue with his counterpart in Singapore where the coal import transactions took place, Senior Congress party leader Jairam Ramesh slammed the government.
Mr. Ramesh made it a point that there were at least three meetings with Singapore Prime Minister after the probe was started. He also accused Finance Minister Arun Jaitley of maintaining silence over the issue, while being vocal on other issues.
“In October 2014, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) revealed about a scam on coal import and a probe was initiated on the over-invoicing of import of coal,” Mr. Ramesh claimed
The DRI on March 31, 2016, has said that a total of 40 companies are involved in this scam and the worth of the scam is Rs. 29,000 crore, the Congress senior leader alleged.
He also said that the DRI issued a letter rogatory to Singapore asking for help to access documents being held by overseas branches of the SBI bank where coal import transactions took place.
But he said that the probe as of now has been stalled while adding that show cause was issued against a total of 4 out of 40 companies by the DRI.
“It is clear that after four years, no result of the probe has come because favourite industrialists are involved in it. If you act against the industrialist, then the government will fall,” he told reporters in Delhi.
“The four companies are owned by favourite industrialists,” Mr. Ramesh alleged, and disclosed few business houses who were allegedly issued notice by DRI.
“A Special Investigation Team (SIT) should investigate the scam as has been demanded in September 2017 in a PIL filed by senior advocate Prashant Bhushan’s NGO in the Delhi High Court and it should be time-bound.
“All obstacles coming in the way of DRI should also be removed and the government should hold discussions with Singapore to make the documents available to DRI,” the Congress leader demanded.
Mr. Ramesh alleged that to stop the sharing of documents lying with the SBI Singapore branch with the, a business house had moved the Singapore High Court, though the plea was declared invalid recently.
And now the same business house has moved the Bombay High Court to limit the DRI probe, he said.
Mr. Ramesh claimed that up to 70 percent of the total coal imports into the country is done through the companies of this business house.
He also produced a letter dated May 20, 2016, in which Revenue Secretary Hashmukh Adia had requested the then SBI chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya to share the documents with DRI.
But, Ms Bhattacharya refused to that by reasoning that it was outrightly against Singapore law, Ramesh said.
In reference to an FIR that was filed by the CBI against some officers of NTPC and others in connection with the investigation, he questioned the reason why the “big players” involved in the “scam” are being spared.
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