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Specific Steps Taken on Whistleblowers Info on Black Money, Says Government

New Delhi: Certain persons claiming to be whistleblowers have offered assistance in investigation of black money stashed abroad and the government has taken specific steps in this regard, the Ministry of Finance has said.

Replying to an RTI query, it declined to share information on the action taken by it, saying the information was held in fiduciary relationship and it will impede the process of investigation or apprehension of offenders.

The ministry was asked to provide information on a letter reportedly written by Herve Falciani, former employee of Geneva branch of HSBC bank, to Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team on black money, besides photocopy of all file notings in this regard.

"Certain persons, claiming to be whistleblowers, have made offer of assistance in investigation of blackmoney stashed away abroad. The government has taken specific steps in this regard," it said replying to the RTI application filed by Venkatesh Nayak, associated with Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, an NGO.

Disclosure of steps taken, at this stage, would not be in the interest of further investigation in view of the exemption from disclosure of information under the provisions of Section 8(1)(h) of the RTI Act, the ministry said.

The Section bars disclosure of information "which would impede the process of investigation or apprehension or prosecution of offenders".

It also cited another section that bars making public "information available to a person in his fiduciary relationship, unless the competent authority is satisfied that the larger public interest warrants the disclosure of such information".