New Delhi:
The Supreme Court has declared the government's investigation on black money as dissatisfactory. The court reviewed a status report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today and said, "Going by the status report submitted on probe by Enforcement Directorate, it is very difficult for us to be calm and quiet."
The Enforcement Directorate has focused its attention on Hasan Ali, the businessman from Pune who it has accused of stashing 8 billion dollars in foreign bank accounts. Mr Ali was arrested earlier this month for money-laundering and foreign exchange violations. He is also being investigated for possible links to international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.
(Read: Who is Hasan Ali?)
Investigators who've been questioning Mr Ali say that they believe his life is in danger- a submission his lawyer made in court last week. The Enforcement Directorate also believes its own officers should be given special protection, given the sensitivity of the case. In its report submitted today, it also said that there has been breakthrough in the investigation.
The court pulled up the Enforcement Directorate for an Ali fixation. "The whole concentration is on one individual what about others? What is the source of income?" the judges asked.
The Supreme Court has been hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that asks for black money to be recovered by the Indian government. The court has repeatedly asked the government why it has not gone public with the list of Indians who hold illicit bank accounts. Once again today, the court said, "Please tell us about the disclosure of names. Why it is not disclosed? Let the people of this country know."