Lobbyist Talwar used NGO funds for personal use

THE HOME MINISTRY SAID THAT OWNERSHIP OF THE NGO’S PREMISES BELONGED TO DEEPAK TALWAR AND THE NGO PAID RENT OF ₹79.83 LAKH TO TALWAR BETWEEN 2012 AND 2015

NEW DELHI: Corporate lobbyist Deepak Talwar used funds donated by leading missile manufacturer MBDA and aviation major Airbus to his non-governmental organisation (NGO) for personal and business purposes including foreign travel, a home ministry investigation has found.

It was based on such findings on activities of the Advantage India that the ministry had asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to initiate criminal proceedings in the case, which led to the filing of an FIR against Talwar, the NGO, and four others by the investigating agency on Friday.

They were charged with criminal conspiracy, making false statement, forgery for the purpose of cheating, and passing off a forged document as genuine.

When contacted, Talwar refused to offer any comment. On Friday, he had told HT that he was no longer associated with the Advantage India.

The NGO received ₹90.27 crore between 2012-13 and 2015-16 and also earned ₹6.69 crore as bank interest on the foreign contributions it received for carrying out educational and social activities.

But the home ministry said the funds were not used for intended purpose.

The home ministry informed the CBI that between May 2015 and January, 2016 the NGO spent ₹30.27 lakh on foreign travel of Talwar.

The ministry further said the ownership of the NGO’s premises belonged to Talwar.

The NGO paid rent of ₹79.83 lakh to Talwar between 2012 and 2015.

The NGO’s claim that it purchased medicines worth ₹26.97 crore for various health camps from two pharma entities — Aastha Pharma and Hind Pharma — was found to be dubious. The Income Tax department found these two firms do not even exist on their given addresses.

Bills and vouchers furnished by the NGO for the purchase were allegedly fictitious and bogus.

The home ministry also told the CBI that Talwar’s NGO paid ₹20.39 crore to Accordis for acquiring mobile medical vans and ₹21.41 crore for service charges for providing doctors, nurses and support staff for these MMVs.

The ministry alleged three agreements the NGO signed in October and December 2012 and January 2013 with Accordis for the purpose were ‘verbatim, selfserving, full of contradictions and appeared to have been made on the same date but signed on different dates’.