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After receiving brickbats from all quarters,including his own party colleagues,over corruption charges,Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi on Tuesday set up a three-member panel to probe the money trail to the United Kingdom.
The panel,consisting OCs chief executive officer Jarnail Singh,special director general (finance) G C Chaturvedi and chief vigilance officer Gurjyot Kaur,will look into payments made to UK-based AM Car and Van Limited. It will also study the Ministry of External Affairs contention about the letters issued by the Indian High Commission in the UK.
The appointment of the panel came after Rajya Sabha deputy chairman K Rahman permitted members to have a limited discussion on the diversion of funds from the Commonwealth Games to parties abroad.
Earlier in the day,Kalmadi,who is at the centre of an alleged corruption scam linked to the Games,met External Affairs Minister S M Krishna to clarify the OCs stand on the UK money trail. While Kalmadi has claimed publicly that the protocol division of the Indian High Commission in London cleared the firm to do business with the OC,the High Commission and the Ministry of External Affairs have denied giving any such sanction.
Investigations have revealed that AM Films facing a probe by UK Customs and Revenue Department and its sister concerns were paid £2,50,000 without any written contract. A day after getting a liquidation notice this July,company director Ashish Patel resigned from the post. The notice was withdrawn after the company gave an explanation. Even its sister organisation,AM Car and Van Company,filed for liquidation the same month.
Meanwhile,sources said the e-mail,the veracity of which was examined by the MEA,could have been doctored.
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