Top ED officials in dock?

ED chief Arun Mathur, special director SK Sawhney and Delhi zone deputy director Prabhakant had stayed in a private hotel that belonged to a group whose another company was once under the ED investigation during an official visit to Kolkata in July 2009, enforcement sources told HT on Thursday. Rajesh Ahuja reports.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) chief Arun Mathur, special director SK Sawhney and Delhi zone deputy director Prabhakant had stayed in a private hotel that belonged to a group whose another company was once under the ED investigation during an official visit to Kolkata in July 2009, enforcement sources told HT on Thursday.

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Jasvir Singh, one of the petitioners on the black money issue in the Supreme Court, has filed an additional affidavit in the matter. Singh has told the court that one of his co-petitioners in the matter SK Dube, an IIT-Delhi professor, had written a letter to the Prime Minister informing him about ED officials' visit to Kolkata.

In the letter, Dube alleged the three ED officials enjoyed the hospitality of a private hotel, owned by a company under ED investigation, on July 1, 2009.

Dube requested the PM to take steps to ensure that officers of suspicious integrity are not allowed to handle cases related to black money belonging to Hasan Ali Khan and others. He demanded an independent investigation in the matter.

Dube has also alleged that a payment of more than Rs 40,000 was made for the stay of the three officials by the company under ED investigation.

However, an ED official told HT that Mathur, Sawhney and Prabhakant didn't visit on July 1, but on July 29, 2009 and stayed at the hotel. The official also said the company that owns the hotel was "never under the investigation" of ED.

But sources have told HT that a shipping company under the group's umbrella was being investigated by the ED in 1998. Investigations got over in 2004 and a penalty was imposed on the company.

The company appealed against the penalty and its appeal is still pending in the high court.

The ED official said "necessary payments were made" without clarifying who made the payment or the mode of payment.

Singh’s affidavit will be heard by the SC on Friday.