Senior Congress leader and close Sonia Gandhi aide Ahmed Patel has been caught in the IT (Income Tax) web for hawala (cash through agents) transaction worth 400 crores rupees. The IT department which is conducting an enquiry into Rs. 400 crores worth hawala transactions and cash inflows to the Congress party had issued summons to Patel on February 11 under section 131 of the IT Act asking him to submit himself for questioning by the department on February 14th. Patel, however, chose not to appear for the hearing citing health concerns.
Such huge sums of cash reaching the Congress office and that too through hawala transactions is a huge cause of concern and certainly points towards something darker and sinister being hidden in the party’s treasury box of which Ahmed Patel is the treasurer. He was also the political secretary to the Congress President Sonia Gandhi from 2001 to 2017. Earlier too, Patel’s name has cropped up in several scams including Augusta Westland.
As reported earlier by HinduPost an Italian court that had convicted Augusta Westland chief Giuseppe Orsi had also noted that many Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi  and her secretary Ahmed Patel had received kickbacks from the company. Another scam where Ahmed Patel’s name cropped up was in the Sterling Biotech & Sandesara group banking scam where a probe by ED (Enforcement Directorate) of 5000 crores money trail brought them to the Congress treasurer’s doorstep. In this case, accused Ranjit Malik confessed to ED that a sum of Rs 25 lakhs was delivered by him to Ahmed Patel at the latter’s residence in Delhi through a hawala operator named Rakesh Chandra. Both Patel’s son and son-in-law were involved in this case.
It must be noted that Ahmed Patel is second in command to Sonia Gandhi and therefore holds a great sway in all affairs of the party. In the face of these allegations and considering the influence and involvement of Patel in many scams, a thorough enquiry is a must because there are surely many more skeletons in the cupboard of the Congress party which ran an empire of scams during its decade long rule (UPA I & II).
(Featured Image Source: Moneycontrol.com)
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[…] days. Patel was also summoned in February this year by the IT department over Rs. 400 crores worth hawala transactions and cash inflows to the Congress […]