The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money Tuesday rejected HSBC whistleblower Herve Falciani’s claim that Indian authorities are not using a ‘lot of information’ on illicit funds, saying he has created a ‘hue and cry’ and not replied to its earlier requests. Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that Falciani should share information ‘without pre-conditions’.
SIT Chairman MB Shah said India is prepared to give Falciani and other whistleblowers ‘full cooperation’ in the fight against the menace of black money. “One should tell him that please give the information. We are waiting for the information. We are prepared to give him full cooperation but let him give information and additional names (about Indians holding stash funds abroad,” Shah said.
The SIT chief said it was a ‘wrong information’ that he had put across to the journalists here yesterday that Indian authorities are not cooperating with him. “He is not giving reply. He has created a wrong hue and cry. We want to tell him that please give it (information) to SIT or to the Government or to a journalist. Please, you (Falciani) share it in the interest of the country,” he said.
Replying to queries, Finance Minister Jaitley told reporters that the Government’s representative has already met Falciani and offered a reward in exchange for information. “Government of India is making all efforts to bring the details (of black money accounts). The number of prosecutions that we launched in last one year were not done earlier.
“Whoever has whatever details, he or she should give us instead of putting any pre-conditions,” Jaitley said addressing media.