Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Navy War Room leak case suspect and controversial alleged arms dealer Abhishek Verma has made startling revelations about his close links with a Congress leader during his interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED ) officials in Tihar jail.
Reports published in a leading daily DNA claims that Verma has told the ED officials, who grilled him on July 20, that a senior Congress Working Committee member is his close business associate.
Verma was quizzed by the ED officials after a case was registered against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on June 18 for allegedly receiving $5.3 lakh from a Swiss defence firm for using his influence to keep it out of the government’s blacklist.
The DNA report also claimed that some confidential documents provided by Verma's former business partner US Attorney C Edmonds Allen have revealed that the money was paid to the arms dealer by Rheinmetall Air Defence AG through its UBS account in Switzerland.
This transaction was shown in bank statements of Verma’s Ganton Ltd and an invoice generated by the company.
Verma further informed the ED officials that money received from the Swis firm was meant for purchasing 100 acre land in Greater Noida, which belongs to the Yamuma Express Industrial Development Authority.
What has come as a shock that this land deal was brokered by a senior Congress leader.
The Congress leader in question is a former cabinet minister and also one of the arbitrators in this land dispute involving Verma’s Ganton and another company.
The alleged land dispute case is being contested in the Allahabad High Court.
If the DNA report is to be believed then a top ED official has also confirmed, on the condition of anonymity, Verma’s link with the senior Congress leader with whom he shared close business interests.
Meanwhile, sources in the CBI have also confirmed Verma’s alleged links with the same Congress leader whose name he revealed during his questioning.
In light of the recent developments, a communication has also been sent to the Congress leader, whose identity has not been revealed, to respond to Verma’s allegations.
First Published: Tuesday, July 24, 2012, 11:27