CBI FIR Oxfam India, read full report
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) First Information Report (FIR) towards the NGO and its office bearers, Oxfam India intended to “create a structure” to continue its operations with foreign funds after its application for the licence renewal under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) was put on hold in January 2022.
The FIR, which was filed on Monday over the alleged breach of the FCRA, stated that the NGO intended to pressurise the Indian government to renew its licence through institutions such as the European Union, the US State Department, the World Bank, the IMF, the Asian Development Bank, and European countries.
It further stated that the NGO was funding agitations and had violated FCRA by using 33% more foreign funds than allowed (20%) for administrative purposes.
In September of last year, the income tax department surveyed the offices of Oxfam India as well as the Centre for Policy Research as part of its investigation into foreign donations.
Since then, the department has recorded testimony from Oxfam office bearers and investigated its financial paperwork and email chats.
The Union Home Ministry requested a CBI investigation on April 5. It urged the CBI to send the case to the Enforcement Directorate if any evidence of money laundering was discovered.
The CBI FIR is based on the income tax department’s conclusions. According to the report, Oxfam India intends to set up a structure to avoid legal constraints for using foreign funds.
Oxfam India is now ineligible for foreign funding because its licence has not been renewed.
According to the FIR, Oxfam India intended to focus on Indian fund-raising and knowledge-based influence, as well as build programmes centred on education, economic empowerment for women, and violence against women.
As per the income tax department, it discovered an internal email of top Oxfam India officials revealing that the “organisation is selectively nominating the NGOs who would offer Oxfam India complete freedom to plan the programme and staffing in the manner they want.”
According to another email on February 15, 2022, by Amitabh Behar, former CEO of Oxfam India, the Embassy of Ireland also sought a letter from the EU to the government of India regarding the FCRA issue.
“Oxfam India had funded Environics Trust to mobilise communities with the assist of local unions against the coal industries,” according to the income tax. “The organisation and its office bearers supported agitational activities violating the FCRA.”
The department discovered that Oxfam received donations ranging from $15,000 to $35,000 from foreign nationals between 2013-14 and 2018-19.
It stated that Oxfam has not responded to a question about how these people were contacted for donations as well as the transfers appear suspicious because they were done in Indian rupees.
In September 2020, the FCRA was revised to prohibit NGOs from spending more than 20% of their foreign funds on administrative expenses.
However, an investigation by the Income Tax Department revealed that the firm spent 33% of its foreign cash on such expenses.
The department needed to look into a property worth 4.1 crores that British citizen Banwari Lal gave to Oxfam India.
Oxfam India has not yet responded to the CBI FIR. Since its establishment, it has asserted that it is entirely compliant with Indian regulations and has filed all statutory compliances, including FCRA filings, on time.
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