Published: February 9, 2015 12:03 IST | Updated: February 10, 2015 00:54 IST
Black money: SIT widens probe
PTI
The Special Investigation Team on black money on Monday decided to widen its probe as new names of Indians with Swiss bank accounts have come up but made it clear that legal action will be taken only after verifying facts.
“Definitely, the scope of investigation will be widened due to the new names. We will have to identify those names and scrutinise them,” SIT chairman Justice (retd) M.B. Shah told PTI in Ahmedabad.
He, however, said legal action can be taken against individuals only after verifying the facts and not just on the basis of news reports.
“SIT will first verify the facts. We can’t take action just on the basis of news reports. We will first verify the claims from our side and then take legal action,” he said.
He said, as per the reports published today, there are “some old names, which we already have, and there are some new names of account holders.”
Meanwhile in Delhi, SIT vice-chairman Justice (retd) Arijit Pasayat, after holding a meeting of the high-powered panel, said it “will consider all new cases where there is evidence of black money”.
“If any new names come and whichever way we have authentic information, we will act on it,” he said after the over two-hour long meeting where existing cases of this nature were also reviewed.
Printable version | Feb 10, 2015 5:02:34 PM | http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sit-on-black-money-to-discuss-new-names-today/article6874115.ece
Scramble to Verify Swiss Leaks Accounts
By Express News Service
Published: 10th February 2015 06:00 AM
NEW DELHI: The black money probe of those who have parked ill-gotten wealth abroad took a fresh turn on Monday post the revelations made by the Indian Express newspaper.
The new list includes prominent Indian industrialists, including Ambani brothers Mukesh and Anil, NRI businessman Naresh Goyal and politician Narayan Rane, all of whom have denied holding any illegal bank accounts abroad.
The new list has the names of 1,195 Indians — nearly double the 628 names that figured in an earlier list that was shared by the French government with India in 2011 — and the total estimated wealth that has been stashed abroad by these Indians could amount to upwards of `25,000 crore.
The Finance Minister also said that the government is in touch with the whistle blower and has requested him to reveal the entire list so that the government could expand the scope of its investigations.
The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday discussed the fresh list and felt that there could be 100 new names in it.
“We will consider all new cases where there is evidence of black money... We will complete the probe in all cases which are getting time barred by March 31,” SIT vice chairman Arijit Pasayat.
The Enforcement Directorate and Central Board of Direct Taxes have been asked to gather information on the new list and inform SIT at the earliest, Pasayat said.
The government has launched prosecution against as many as 60 illegal overseas bank account holders, while penalty proceedings against 350 other account holders have been initiated, Jaitley said. He added that the revenue department is in touch with informants for more names.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/Scramble-to-Verify-Swiss-Leaks-Accounts/2015/02/10/article2661256.ece