British passport to Srichand Hinduja sets off controversy

But Mandelson issued a statement last night denying he had lobbied for Hinduja to get a passport and said ‘‘to the limited extent that I was involved in this matter I was always very sensitive to the proprieties. The matter was dealt with by my private secretary. At no time did I support or endorse this application for citizenship.’’

In what Baker dubbed a ‘‘passports-for-favours’’ scandal, the newspaper said Mandelson approached the British home office to find out whether an application from Srichand Hinduja, who had already been turned down for a British passport, would be welcomed. Hinduja duly applied in March, 1999, and received his passport six months later — a third of the time a typical decision takes, the newspaper report said.

Seeking an investigation, Baker said, ‘‘We have a rich businessman in the middle of a corruption scandal who gets a British passport in record time after donating one million pound to the dome. It now appears the Minister responsible for the dome helped to get him a passport. We need a clear statement on who lobbied the home office on the Hindujas’ behalf and when,’’ it said.