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Andaleep Sehgal questioned by Enforcement Directorate

Last updated on: November 08, 2005 01:20 IST

Caught in the eye of a storm after being named in the Volcker Committee report on the Iraqi oil-for-food scam, Delhi-based businessman Andaleep Sehgal was questioned on Monday for eight hours by Enforcement Directorate officials.

Sehgal appeared before the ED around 12:30 pm, accompanied by his wife and lawyer.

The businessman, a relative of External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh, had been issued summons by the ED on Saturday to appear before it on Sunday.

But Sehgal said he could not appear before the ED for questioning on Sunday, as he was out of town and declared that he would cooperate with the investigation. After the questioning, he left the building through a back gate, evading the waiting battery of mediapersons.

He is believed to have been questioned about the company's business interests in Iraq during Saddam Hussein's regime and whether it had clearances under the Foreign Exchange Management Act in view of the report's references, the sources said.

ED officials had raided Sehgal's house and company, Hamdaan Exports, on Sunday along with the residences of some relatives. Andaleep, who is also a close friend of Singh's son Jagat, has denied any business links with him or the Congress and rejected allegations of receiving commissions in Iraq's oil-for food programme.

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