BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Monday petitioned the Enforcement Directorate to probe the key persons who helped Vijay Mallya cook up accounts to defraud banks. In a letter to ED Director Karnal Singh, Swamy alleged Mumbai-based investment bankers belonging to international auditing firm Arthur Anderson prepared the fictitious accounts for Mallya’s firms to fool the PSU banks.
Swamy accused Ashok Wadhwa and Sid Khanna, the former Indian agents of Arthur Anderson, of fake restructuring of financial data of Mallya companies. The international consultancy Arthur Anderson is now defunct. “Wadhwa also helped structure the Diageo transaction as well as several rounds of bank financing Kingfisher Airlines. He is closely networked within public sector banking system,” said Swamy accusing Congress leader Ahmed Patel of “patronizing” Wadhwa.
“Sid Khanna was cultivated by Mallya and later as Country Head of Arthur Anderson, wrote several glowing testimonials which helped Mallya restructure his way out of the first trouble with public sector banks,” added Swamy, urging a probe into the duo’s role in helping Mallya cheat banks.