Amnesty International India received foreign funds without FCRA licence: CBI
Amnesty International India Pvt Ltd (AIIPL), its former executive director Aakar Patel, and six other individuals and entities before a special court, people in the know said.
The agency — which had booked the human rights NGO and the rest of the accused for alleged Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) violations by committing irregularities in foreign funding in 2019 — has completed its probe in the case, it is reliably learnt.
In July this year, the CBI had given an assurance to the special court that it would file its «final report» by October.
It filed its supplementary charge sheet on December 15, people cited above said.
The special court has posted the matter for January 16 to decide whether to take cognisance of the supplementary charge sheet. The agency had filed its first charge sheet against eight individuals and entities in January 2022.
Besides Amnesty and Patel, the other accused are then AIIPL directors Shobha Mathai, Nandini Anand Basappa, and Minar Vasudeo Pimple, then head of operations Mohan Premananda Mundkur, its authorised signatory Raj Kishor Kapil, and Indians For Amnesty International Trust (IAIT).
The supplementary charge sheet is filed on charges of criminal conspiracy under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The agency also submitted documents it has relied upon to buttress its charges against the accused, sources said.
As per available information, the CBI has alleged that Amnesty International India received foreign funding when it did not possess a licence under the FCRA, which is mandatory for receiving foreign grants. The agency further alleged that Amnesty and the co-accused disguised the funding received from the UK as investment and subverted it.
Read more on economictimes.indiatimes.com
