CBI books Oxfam India for FCRA violation

New Delhi, April 19 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has lodged a case of alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act against NGO Oxfam India on the request of the Centre, sources said.

The Union Home Ministry had recently directed the CBI to probe the alleged foreign funding violations committed by the Indian arm of global NGO Oxfam, after suspending its FCRA license.

Seven months back, the Income Tax Department carried out a search operations at Oxfam India office.

"The I-T officials had learnt through emails that the Oxfam India was trying to circumvent provisions of the FCRA. It planned to transfer funds to other entities registered under the FCRA," the source said.

Sources in the IT Department had claimed that tax evasions of crore of rupees in the guise of donation to political parties were detected by them.

The IT team had learnt from a report of Election Commission that a few political parties were allegedly given donations through a data entry operator by flouting rules.

"This was basically fraud-cum-tax evasion which was done in the name of donations to political parties," an IT source had claimed at that time.

It had been found that Oxfam India had been continuously transferring foreign contributions to various other entities in violation of rules. The funds being transferred by Oxfam to the Centre for Policy Research was a violation of the FCRA, which prohibits such transfers after an amendment that came in force on September 29, 2020.