Switzerland on Tuesday said it is waiting for a request from India seeking help in probe against Hasan Ali, even as the domestic enforcement agencies tightened their noose on the stud farm owner accused of having billions of dollars of black money in Swiss banks. Central government had first sought freezing of Ali's bank accounts in Switzerland way back in 2007. However, Swiss authorities have rejected all requests so far, saying they did not conform to necessary grounds for mutual assistance in this particular case and have asked India to submit a fresh request with certain facts and details. Replying to a query on whether the Indian authorities have approached Switzerland with a fresh request for assistance in Hasan Ali case, a spokesperson for the Swiss law ministry said that there is no such development so far. Ali was arrested last night by the Enforcement Directorate, after the agency carried out searches at his Pune home and that of his associates' premises in several cities. A day later, the Supreme Court today asked probe agencies to consider invoking terror and other stringent penal charges against 53-year old Ali for his alleged links with arms dealers and people linked to terror activities. The ED also submitted to the court, in a sealed cover, its status report on the probe into the case related to black money in which they also mentioned Khan's arrest last night. The government also told the court that it would also furnish a status report on income-tax department's probe. The Prime Minister's clarification was followed by a mild uproar by the opposition when the Chair did not permit some members to raise further queries. The Left parties staged a walk out on the ruling.
News On AIR | March 8, 2011 6:39 PM
Waiting for India's request in Hasan Ali case: Switzerland