Andaleeb Sehgal’s firm Hamdan Exports, named in the Volcker report for making ‘‘illegal surcharge payments’’ to the tune of $748,540 on behalf of Masefield which lifted Iraqi oil against rights allotted to Natwar Singh and Congress party, did not file returns with Delhi’s VAT department in the last five years. Sehgal is a close friend of Jagat Singh, son of Natwar Singh. According to tax records, Hamdan Exports showed a ‘‘nil’’ gross turnover. Official sources said that investigators will probe whether the firm was a shell company, used for remittances and fund parking. The sources said that records of the firm, already under the scanner of Central enforcement agencies, are now being scrutinised by Delhi tax officials. ‘‘The firm hasn’t filed any returns to the VAT department in the last five years. If Income Tax or Enforcement Directorate is able to discover any remittances, VAT enforcement teams from Delhi government will also be sent to investigate,’’ a senior Delhi government official said. The address of Hamdan Exports, according to VAT department records, is A-53, Panchsheel Enclave, New Delhi. The firm has been registered since September 28, 1998 and bears a registration number (TIN or Trade Identification number): LC\009\152956\0991. Officials said the firm had taken a licence to export the following items: handicraft, carpets, furnishing fabric, disposable syringes, blood bags, surgical latex, gloves, denim fabric, woollen sweaters, tea, toothpaste and noodles. According to officials, the firm had obtained licence for dealing with these commodities, although it was free to export other things as well after relevant paperwork. ‘‘The company showed nil gross turnover. But if there is any transaction revealed in documents seized by IT and ED, then we will also scrutinise these records,’’ a senior official said.
