No cases against German bank account holders: CBI to CBDT

New Delhi, Nov 25: CBI is understood to have communicated to the Central Board of Direct Taxes that none of the individuals whose names figure in the LGT Bank accounts for stashing illegal funds abroad has any pending CBI cases against them. The list of 18 individuals was provided to the CBI by the CBDT to ascertain if these individuals have any pending cases with the agency.

Sources in the agency said CBDT has been informed that none of the 17 individuals whose names have been provided to it had any CBI case against them. They, however, clarified that CBI had started a preliminary inquiry in the year 1999 against one the persons mentioned in the list but that was also closed for the want to evidence.

A CBI official said, at present no one mentioned in the list has any case against them and the fact has been communicated to the CBDT which is probing tax violations against these individuals. CBDT had shared details of 18 individuals with the CBI after the Income Tax department initiated prosecution in these cases for concealment of income in their returns filed with the department. The activities of these accounts have been found in Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and a few southern states, and the CBI will also check its database before launching possible prosecution in these cases, CBDT sources had said.

The government has imposed a penalty of Rs 24.66 crore on 18 individuals who have bank accounts with Liechtenstein's LGT Bank on the basis of information provided by German authorities.

PTI