Govt gives SC list of Indian with foreign bank accounts

The Central government on Tuesday submitted to the Supreme Court the list of Indians who have accounts in Liechtensteins LGT Bank in a sealed cover.

Media reports said that at least 26 names have been included in the list submitted before the apex court by the Central Board of Direct Taxes.

The government, however, refused to share the information in public domain, stating that it would violate a sovereign agreement between India and Germany.

The government has maintained that making the names public would violate Clause 26 of the DTAA and also hamper negotiations with Switzerland and a dozen other countries on amending the existing DTAAs to provide for exchange of information related to bank accounts.

Under the clause, the information submitted is privileged and details of the informant, its recipient and that of accountholders cannot be revealed to any third person except share it with the court or investigating agencies.

Meanwhile, Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari questioned the government?s unwillingness to make public names of Indians who have Swiss bank accounts.

?UPA Government should, without any hesitation, make public names of all those who have stashed black money in Swiss Bank accounts,” Gadkari said in Bhubaneswar.

He said it was all the more imperative for the government to publicize the names after the WikiLeaks reports.

?Any reluctance in declaring the names of Swiss bank account holders will simply raise doubts about the integrity of people at the helm,? he said.