From 3 am, how friend Sehgal played hide and seek with officials

The hunt for Andy Sehgal began last evening after the government decided to take its first steps towards initiating an inquiry into the allegations made in Volcker Committee report that investigated the Oil for Food programme. Natwar Singh and the Congress party have been named as non-contractual beneficiaries in the report.

As reported by The Sunday Express today, Look Out Circulars were issued against Sehgal as efforts were made to ensure he doesn’t escape the country. Finally around 3 am, he was traced to the Jaipur Estate house..

Enforcement Directorate officials, accompanied by officials from security agencies, landed there and waited for nearly six hours. The team left, leaving behind a notice for Andaleeb to appear before the ED under certain provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act. He has been asked to be there tomorrow at 10 am.

DOE officers also searched C-63, Defence Colony, a property used by Andaleeb’s family as an office, and C-119, his home in the adjoining street.

Natwar Singh and the Congress party, according to Volcker, got oil rights for 4 million barrels each from the Saddam regime. Of this, nearly 2 million barrels were lifted by a third Swiss oil company Masefield AG. Illegal surcharges—the focus of the Volcker investigation—amounting to $748,540 for this oil was paid by Sehgal and his company Hamdaad Exports to the Jordan National Bank in early 2001.

Andaleeb now says he had nothing to do with this. His travel records show frequent travel to Dubai in that period and more importantly, his name figures in the records maintained by the Iraqi State Oil Ministry.

Jagat Singh travelled to Jordan, each time within days of Andaleeb leaving the country.

These are questions, he will have to answer when he deposes before the ED. Sources say Hamdaan export does not hold a valid import-export code, which means the company has not traded goods abroad.

ED Assistant Director Arvind Kumar Singh, whose officers conducted searches at the Hamdaan Exports office this morning, has summoned Andaleeb with passport and full details of bank accounts.

The sections cited indicate that the government suspects concealment of income.