Threats to my life from Kashinath Tapuriah, claims Hasan Ali

Mumbai: India's supposedly biggest tax evader Hasan Ali has said that there is a threat to his life from Kashinath Tapuriah, a Kolkata-based businessman and his partner RP Goenka, who he alleges are the real culprits and have framed him. Mr Ali is believed to have 8 billion dollars in black money in foreign bank accounts.

"The 8 billion dollars belong to Tapuriah and his associate...they have framed me," Mr Ali said.

Mr Ali was speaking outside a Mumbai Sessions court, where he was today remanded to custody for another two weeks. He will now stay in judicial custody till April 8.

Mr Tapuriah, said to be Hasan Ali's aide, was arrested in Mumbai yesterday and will be in the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) custody till March 30.

The ED says Mr Tapuriah was an active participant in the scam. The agency had told the Supreme Court that Mr Tapuriah accompanied Hasan Ali to Singapore in 1997 to operate his Swiss Bank accounts where black money was parked, and that Mr Tapuriah helped Mr Ali procure a fake passport in 1997.

The court has also directed jail authorities to take appropriate measures regarding the threat to Hasan Ali's life, and has allowed home cooked food and medicines to be given to Mr Ali.

Late last night, Mr Ali had been produced before a magistrate after his three day Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody ended.

The Pune based businessman is being probed by the ED for tax evasion and money laundering charges.

Mr Ali was arrested earlier this month and moved to Mumbai from Pune, where he is known for his lavish cars, homes, horses and parties.

He has been asked to pay Rs. 70,000 crore as a penalty for tax evasion. His lawyer claims that Mr Ali is innocent of all the charges against him.

The Supreme Court had last week cancelled his bail. The court had earlier suggested that Mr Ali be tried on terror charges because his activities seemed to involve a threat to "national security."

The Supreme Court has referred repeatedly to the government's inaction against Mr Ali in the context of a case that it is hearing on black money. The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by former Law Minister Ram Jethmalani among others asks the government to recover crores of unaccounted-for money that has been stashed in foreign banks by Indians.


Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/hasan-ali-sent-to-judicial-custody-till-apr-8-94012?cp