NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 19: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has begun a probe into the financial dealings of Vincent George, the all-powerful secretary of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.A team under Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Arun Kumar Gupta is preparing a Special Investigation Report about the wealth and property acquired by George. DIG Gupta had earlier investigated the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha bribery case. In George's case, the period when he was Personal Secretary to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and held the status of a public servant will be under special scrutiny.The CBI has already questioned George's chartered accountant Anil Thakur, son of Janardhan Thakur, senior Congressman Sarabjeet Singh, former chairman of Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), and two more of his close associates, sources said.George came under suspicion following separate disclosures made by the former Deputy Director in the Enforcement Directorate, Ashok Aggarwal, and the son of Congress Rajya Sabha MP Veena Verma, Abhishek Verma. George, Sonia Gandhi's trusted secretary, was alleged to have laundered ``crores of rupees'' with the connivance of both Aggarwal and Verma.Sources in the CBI said that under investigation, among other things, were the various investments made by George and the properties acquired by him, which include houses in South Extension, M G Road (Bangalore) and Anand Niketan (C-52). Many of the properties were in the name of his wife.George is also reported to have brought in Rs 3 crore in 1991-92 under the Government of India's tax amnesty scheme. The money was remitted to India, largely in his wife's name, through various drafts made from banks in the USA, prominent among them being the State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Flushing, New York. Sonia's secretary is alleged to have used this money to buy the posh Anand Niketan property in South Delhi.George's name had first come up in the statement given by Abhishek Verma to the CBI and also to the ED. His name came up again during the interrogation of Aggarwal by the CBI, sources said. ``We had no choice but to start investigations because some concrete things against George have come to light,'' a CBI official said.The official added that ultimately, many of the things might also have to be investigated by the ED, given the nature of charges against him.
