NGOs and Laundering - Undercover report
The NGO chief replied that he would show the black money as donations from members and would return it in white as payment for blankets the organisation was supposed to purchase. "I have told you already that we have 10-11,000 members. We can show donation of five thousand rupees from each member," he said.
"You have to give cheque and we will also buy blankets from you." Ansari explained that the NGO would pay the team in cheque, in the process laundering the money. There was another way, he added- black transaction. "We will take commission on that," he said.
NGOs IN AMBIT
"The money will go into the NGO's account." This money can be spent on welfare programmes, he added, quoting 30-35% as his commission. Yuva Shakti was not the only NGO that was willing to convert black money into white. The India Today TV team next contacted the Akhil Bharatiya Viklang Vidhwa Vridh Seva Samiti, an organisation for the disabled, widowed and elderly. At a restaurant in Delhi we met Pawan, who runs the NGO's operations.
Our undercover reporters wanted to know if Pawan was willing to launder black money, about Rs 1 crore. "Tell me, how much return do you want?" he asked. "If you want your money as white in 2-4 days, then we can't do that…You will have to wait for at least three months." Promising to provide the clean cash by February next year, Pawan started negotiating for his fee. "I want 40% commission, not less than that," he said. The Modi government has already asked for a detailed probe based on India Today TV's previous investigation on the cash mafia.
It's perhaps time that NGOs too are brought within the ambit. more