New Delhi: Controversial meat exporter Moin Akhtar Qureshi has been granted bail by a Delhi court in black money case filed by the Income Tax (I-T) department.
The I-T department launched an investigation against Qureshi for alleged evasion of tax. Last week, the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at seven different locations in the Delhi-NCR region in connection with Qureshi's alleged hawala dealings.
The I-T department had prepared a detailed report on the tax evasions of Qureshi, who is known to have had strong connections with at least two former directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) AP Singh and Ranjit Sinha. While Singh had to step down from the post of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Sinha was removed as the CBI director's post.
The CBI had written to the Central Bureau of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in connection with the suspected tax evasion by Qureshi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the Lok Sabha campaign, had raised Qureshi's issue and promised action.
A Doon school alumnus, 57-year-old Qureshi is under I-T department lens for alleged tax evasion as the tax sleuths claimed that the turnover of his companies was 'under-reported'.
The I-T department claimed to have 500 hours of telephonic transcripts of Qureshi even as reports surfaced about alleged links of Singh with the meat exporter. The tax sleuths had roped in Enforcement Directorate as well to probe alleged money laundering in the case by Qureshi, who had to resign as president of its old boys' society of Doon school after the controversy broke out.
Singh had maintained that Qureshi was a personal friend.
Sinha wrote a 'secret' letter to the CBDT chairman asking him to provide evidence, if any, against any CBI officer, present or former, so that the same could be analysed and action taken in accordance to the law, official sources said. CBDT has the administrative control over I-T department.
The reports indicated that Singh had introduced Qureshi in elite social circles of the national capital. The I-T authorities were also probing whether Qureshi had any link to a heavy cash transaction between Dubai and London.
In a series of searches being conducted by the I-T department at various premises being linked to Qureshi, the tax sleuths have claimed to have frozen Rs 20 crore cash and jewellery and the deposits in bank accounts.
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