Natwar Singh was removed from the post on December 6, 2005 (though retaining a cabinet role as minister without portfolio) following a controversy over his alleged involvement in the United Nations Iraqi Oil for Food scandal. The Independent Inquiry Committee under Paul Volcker had reported on October 27, 2005 that he and his son Jagat Singh were non-contractual beneficiaries of the Oil for Food programme.
Allegedly, they, along with Jagat Singh's childhood friend Andaleeb Sehgal, were associated with a company called Hamdan Exports, which acted as an intermediary for illegal sales of oil to a Swiss firm named Masefield AG. In return, Masefield had to pay kickbacks, (termed "surcharges") partly to Saddam Hussein's regime and partly to Natwar Singh and others. It was alleged that such surcharges were Hussein's way of securing support from politicians around the world and that this influenced Natwar Singh to lobby against US policies in Iraq (in particular, US sanctions on Saddam Hussein). This controversy heated up when Anil Mathrani, then Indian Ambassador to Croatia, and a close aide to Natwar Singh alleged that Natwar Singh had used an official visit to Iraq to procure oil coupons for Jagat Singh from Saddam's regime.
This scandal represented a serious crisis for the ruling coalition. On March 26, 2006 it was reported that the Indian Enforcement Directorate (ED), investigating the money trail in the 'oil-for-food' scam, had finally tracked a sum of Rs 8 crore transferred from London-based NRI businessman Aditya Khanna's bank account to his own NRI account in a Delhi bank and later withdrawn from this account to be allegedly distributed among Indian beneficiaries of the scam.
In 2008, Natwar Singh resigned membership in the Congress Party after earlier having his membership suspended.
Allegedly, they, along with Jagat Singh's childhood friend Andaleeb Sehgal, were associated with a company called Hamdan Exports, which acted as an intermediary for illegal sales of oil to a Swiss firm named Masefield AG. In return, Masefield had to pay kickbacks, (termed "surcharges") partly to Saddam Hussein's regime and partly to Natwar Singh and others. It was alleged that such surcharges were Hussein's way of securing support from politicians around the world and that this influenced Natwar Singh to lobby against US policies in Iraq (in particular, US sanctions on Saddam Hussein). This controversy heated up when Anil Mathrani, then Indian Ambassador to Croatia, and a close aide to Natwar Singh alleged that Natwar Singh had used an official visit to Iraq to procure oil coupons for Jagat Singh from Saddam's regime.
This scandal represented a serious crisis for the ruling coalition. On March 26, 2006 it was reported that the Indian Enforcement Directorate (ED), investigating the money trail in the 'oil-for-food' scam, had finally tracked a sum of Rs 8 crore transferred from London-based NRI businessman Aditya Khanna's bank account to his own NRI account in a Delhi bank and later withdrawn from this account to be allegedly distributed among Indian beneficiaries of the scam.
In 2008, Natwar Singh resigned membership in the Congress Party after earlier having his membership suspended.
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