Delhi HC stays proceedings against Natwar Singh in FEMA violation case

The Delhi High Court on Monday stayed the proceedings initiated by Enforcement Directorate against former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and his son Jagat Singh in an alleged Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violation case.

New Delhi, Aug 6 : The Delhi High Court on Monday stayed the proceedings initiated by Enforcement Directorate against former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and his son Jagat Singh in an alleged Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violation case.

In its interim order, a bench comprising of Justices T S Thakur and Kailash Gambhir said: "During pendancy of the matter (before the court), the proceedings are stayed".

The court passed the order after Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra submitted that proceedings can be stayed till the pendancy of the case.

The court also reserved the judgment after hearing both the parties on the Singhs' petition challenging the single-bench order of the court which declined to provide all the documents relating to the Iraq oil-for-food scam.

An inquiry proceeding is on by the Enforcement Directorate against Natwar Singh and Jagat Singh for alleged irregularities in Iraqi oil-for-food scam.

The Justice R S Pathak Committee had indicted Natwar and Jagat for abuse of power in gaining contracts in the UN scheme during the Saddam Hussain regime in Iraq, but gave a clean chit to his Congress party.

While the report did not ascribe any motives for the allocations, witnesses in similar transactions said politicians had been rewarded for backing the Iraqi government for an end to UN sanctions.

Former US Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker had named Natwar Singh, his son and the Congress party after a year-long investigation as non-contractual beneficiaries of the 64-billion dollar programme.

ANI