Amnesty International India illegally received Rs 51.72 Cr after FCRA was cancelled: ED
By Coreena Suares Published on 16 Feb 2021 4:45 PM GMT
Hyderabad: In an extensive investigation against Amnesty International India Pvt. Ltd. (AIIPL), the sleuths of Enforcement directorate have attached assets worth Rs 17.66 Cr under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).
The attachment is in the form of seizing bank accounts of M/s Amnesty International India and Indians for Amnesty International Trust (IAIT).
Amnesty International India was a country unit of the Amnesty International network, and was part of a global movement promoting and defending human rights. In September 2020, the government of India cancelled the permission of Amnesty under FCRA Act following which it halted its operations.
The enforcement directorate initiated investigation based on the FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Criminal charges have been levelled against Amnesty International India Pvt Ltd. (AIIPL), Indians for Amnesty International Trust (IAIT), Amnesty International India Foundation
Trust (AIIFT) and Amnesty International South Asia Foundation (AISAF), under section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code and under sections 11, 35 and 39 of The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010.
Fraud
The Government of India granted Amnesty International India Foundation Trust (AIIFT) permission under the Foreign Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act during 2011-12 for receiving foreign contributions from Amnesty International UK.
However, in 2020 the permission was revoked on the basis of the adverse inputs received. Despite denial of permission, the entities received funding from security agencies during the year 2011-12.
Amnesty International India Pvt. Ltd and Indians Amnesty International Trust (IAIT) were formed in the year 2013-14 and 2012-13 respectively. To escape the FCRA route and carry out NGO activities in the guise of service export and FDI.
Amnesty adopted new method to receive money from abroad
Investigation found that, upon cancellation of FCRA Licence by Govt. of India Amnesty International India Foundation Trust, Amnesty International, U.K. sent Rs. 51.72 Cr to AIIPL in the guise of export of Services and Foreign Direct Investment.
"For export proceeds / advances for export of services to Amnesty International UK, there was no documentary proof for the alleged export such as invoices and copies of agreement between M/s AIIPL and Amnesty International UK has been furnished by AIIPL to the Authorized Dealer Banks" ED found.
Probe also revealed that facie found that Amnesty International India and others have obtained foreign remittances to the tune of Rs. 51.72 Crores in the guise Export of services and Foreign Direct Investments from M/s. Amnesty International (UK) whose source is the donations from the individual donors.
In this regard, ED earlier attached assets worth Rs 19.54 Crore.
