Hinduja comments on Passport row

Srichand Hinduja today said that he had done no more than inquire of Mr Mandelson, Mr Vaz and some other politicians how his passport application was proceeding.

He insisted that the application had nothing to do with his foundation’s £1 million Dome donation and that he had never expected the ministers he spoke to to speed up the granting of citizenship.

Mr Hinduja told BBC1’s Breakfast with Frost: ‘‘I just casually inquired from (Mr Mandelson) would he please let me know what is the progress of my application.

‘‘I never thought that the people and the media in Britain would one morning get up and tell me that this donation given by my foundation is linked to the passport.

‘‘It was not only Peter Mandelson I inquired from, there were other people in the political world I asked whether they had any idea of the new legislation or what is happening with my passport application.

‘‘I inquired from Keith Vaz. I inquired from a couple of other friends, I don’t exactly remember today.

Asked how Mr Mandelson had reacted to his inquiry, Mr Hinduja said: ‘‘He just said ‘Let me check and I will report back to you.’’’

He added: ‘‘I don’t see that there is anything wrong in inquiring about the progress of the application. I think the duty of every politician is to assist and help.’’

Mr Hinduja insisted that reports of the brothers’ multi-million pound donations to both Tory and Labour funds were ‘‘totally false’’.

He said that they had personally donated only to good causes and that their companies had budgets for political donations running into no more than a couple of thousand pounds.

And he denied that he had taken any advantage of the protection offered by a British passport to evade justice in the Bofors arms scandal, over which he is currently facing corruption allegations in an Indian court.

He pointed out that he had returned voluntarily to India and waived his right to silence in the case.

He had wanted a British passport because it would be more convenient for him when making investments, he said.