ED: Amnesty UK routed Rs 51 crore to India arm for ‘anti-national’ work | India News,The Indian Express
Over the years, AIIPL itself got Rs 36 crore (including Rs 10 crore FDI) from Amnesty International UK against “export of services” related to preparing of human rights reports on various issues, organising campaigns and some technical services, the ED said.
Flagging international NGO Amnesty’s projects ‘Kashmir: Access to Justice’ and ‘Justice for 1984 Sikh Massacre’, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has told a special court in New Delhi that Amnesty International UK routed over Rs 51 crore to an Indian arm in violation of laws to “fund anti-national activities in the guise of export of services”.
On July 9, the ED filed a prosecution complaint (equivalent to a chargesheet) against Amnesty International India Pvt Ltd (AIIPL), Indians for Amnesty International Trust (IAIT), and former AIIPL CEOs G Ananthapadmanabhan and Aakar Patel for alleged money laundering.
According to the ED chargesheet, Amnesty International, to further its activities in India, set up Amnesty International India Foundation Trust (AIIFT) in 1999. In 2011-12, when the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) came into effect, the NGO was granted prior permission by the government for receipt of foreign funds. But this was soon revoked following “adverse inputs” by government agencies.
The ED said Amnesty International then set up IAIT, a non-profit organisation, in 2012, and AIIPL (then known as Social Sector Research Consultancy & Support Services (India) Pvt Ltd), a for-profit commercial entity, in 2013.
The IAIT was supposed to be domestically-funded and carry out human rights related activities in India using these funds. The AIIPL, the ED said, was supposed to carry out the same work by charging a fee in the form of export of services via reports, organising campaigns etc.
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