Puducherry: Puducherry Lt Governor Iqbal
Singh was questioned by Enforcement Directorate officials for
the second day on Tuesday over his recommendation for expeditious
issue of passport to Hasan Ali Khan, who is facing money
laundering and tax evasion charges.
Official sources said the four-member team from
Mumbai, which grilled Singh for nearly five hours yesterday,
began questioning him at 10.30 am at Raj Rivas.
The entire proceedings are reportedly being
videographed but Raj Nivas sources have remained tight-lipped
on it.
Singh landed in a controversy after Bihar-based
Congress leader Amlendu Pandey mentioned his name during
questioning.
Singh admitted to having recommended expeditious issue
of the passport when he was a Rajya Sabha member in 1997,
though he did not know Khan, on humanitarian grounds as he was
told that the Pune-stud farm owner needed to travel abroad
urgently to visit his ailing brother.
The Prime Minister's Office had last week given
clearance to the ED to record Singh's statement on the issue.
Opposition parties have called for a bandh tomorrow
seeking recall of Singh, who is also caught in a controversy
over the charge that a trust in which his two sons were former
members had been given in-principle clearance by the
administration to set up a medical college without following
due procedures.
Singh has, however, found support in Chief Minister V
Vaithilingam who has said "there is no necessity" for him
to step down, saying he was facing only allegations and the ED
would do "necessary statutory follow up".
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 13:46