Statement Issued by Prof. Gourav Vallabh MODI MODEL OF GOVERNANCE – EXPORT FUGITIVES – IMPORT GOODS & SERVICES FROM THEM Dupe Banks, Run away with public money, Relax at foreign locations and Sell goods and services from these locations to Government of India. True vikas under the BJP regime has only happened for the defaulters and fugitives. While we are all aware of fugitives like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya, the list doesn’t seem to end. In the series of fugitives prospering under the BJP regime, there has been one more addition that is even more shocking.

Sterling Biotech and its promoters, the Sandesara brothers are economic offenders and should have been treated like one. But the central agencies seem to be rolling a red carpet for the Sandesaras. Instead of curbing or seizing their business and assets, Petroleum Ministry shamelessly is indulging in business with the Sandesaras.

• From January 1, 2018 to May 31, 2020, shipments worth 5701.83 Crore of OKWUIBOME Crude Oil (Annexure 1, RTI response) were received from a Sterling Biotech group entity i.e. Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Ltd. (SEEPCO) Nigeria by our Oil PSU’s. SEEPCO has been producing OKWUIBOME Crude Oil.
• PSUs like Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) have been actively purchasing oil from (SEEPCO) Nigeria.
• Even after declaration of the Sandesaras company promoters as fugitive economic offenders in September 2020, there seem to be continuous purchase of OKWUIBOME Crude Oil by our Oil PSU’s. There is a vessel enroute to Paradip from Nigeria that belongs to SEEPCO and is expected to reach Paradip on November 01, 2021. So far, no vessels of SEEPCO have been seized.
• Recent Pandora papers have revealed that the Sandesara brothers formed 6 offshore firms to increase oil trade to India. Interestingly, all of these companies were formed between November 2017 and April 2018 (ED registered a money laundering case in October 2017) and none of them have been investigated by central agencies like the ED and CBI. These points clearly indicate that the Central Government, PSBs and central agencies like CBI and ED have not only been going soft on the Sandesara brothers but also helping them escape law and contributing to their wealth and fortunes by repeatedly indulging in business with them. The Congress party has three questions for the Modi government:

1. Why have there been no attempts to extradite the Sandesara brothers? Do banks and central agencies treat other loan defaulters and economic offenders in the same manner?
2. Does the Modi government consider the Sandesara brothers as fugitive economic offenders and why does Oil PSUs indulge in repeated business with economic offenders?
3. Will the Modi government direct ED and CBI to seize the vehicle that is reaching Paradip in November 2021? Monday, October 11, 2021