Greasing the Curry

In London, a former associate of solicitor Sarosh Zaiwalla claims that cash payments were made to Asian MP Keith Vaz — leaving them both at the centre of a scandal.

I also believe Mr. Zaiwalla made other payments to Mr. Vaz, always in cash, at Mr. Vaz’s request,” the former associate stated.

Both Vaz and Zaiwalla have issued strong denials. But it seems the politician–businessman nexus has once again raised its ugly head. A universal, inevitable phenomenon, but here in Britain, thanks to the prying tabloid press, the matter has come under microscopic scrutiny.

In this country there is a special code of conduct which requires all members of parliament to register their pecuniary interests and any other material benefits they receive from anybody which may be thought by others to influence their actions.

Sarosh Zaiwalla, the Parsi solicitor who hails from Mumbai, shot to fame in the early ’80s after getting the Bachchans acquitted in the Bofors case. Since then, he has moved on, adding a list of high profile clients, which include politicians, foreign governments and ambassadors. Now, a bachelor, after a messy divorce, 52-year-old Zaiwalla is once again in the news after being embroiled in a controversy that actually threatens to tarnish the image of the present Labour government in Britain. Already hit by reports of falling in standards of National Health Service (NHS) the last thing Tony Blair would need is allegations of sleaze — something more commonly associated with the previous government.

Yet, in a startling revelation, a former associate of Zaiwalla allegedly claims to have made cash payments to the tune of £ 2000 in cash to Labour MP Keith Vaz in 1994 when he was shadow spokesman for inner cities. “I was in partnership with Mr. Zaiwalla in 1994 when a young man from Mr. Vaz’s office called at the partnership’s office to collect £ 2000 cash for Mr. Vaz.

However, Vaz failed to register this alleged payment. And has been pulled up by the parliamentary standards commissioner, Elizabeth Filkin, who is investigating the matter. The allegations have shocked the Asian community in Britain, who hold Vaz in high esteem. In his constituency in Leicester, an Asian stronghold, they can hardly believe it. “A lot of English people do not like Asian MPs. I do not think Vaz has taken any money. This is just being done to tarnish his name,” says Pradeep Naker, an Asian businessman from there.

Vaz is the second Asian MP to be in such a scandal. Mohammed Sarwar, another Labour MP from Glasgow was also accused of receiving cash during the 1997 elections by a tabloid newspaper. He subsequently sued the paper and won the case after a court acquitted him. But the damage had been done.

Rich and successful Asians have long since known to be fraternising with politicians. It is no secret that they have been funding Asian political initiatives. “I don’t see anything wrong. We are a small community and we have to help it grow,” says Neermal Suri, a publisher. That may be so but there is another school of thought that believes that Asians are denied their due recognition and hobnobbing with politicians is the only way to achieve it. Having achieved financial success, honour is what they are lacking. A MBE or OBE or the most coveted peerage is the ultimate recognition from the host community. The title of Lord and Baroness would get adulation from their own as well. “Why not,” says a well-known socialite woman, “Our own community also needs to be feted. Why should we be left out just because we are Asian,” she adds.

The fact of the matter is, there are very few Asians in the house of Commons and Lords. “Our record in parliament has been poor,” says Lord Navneet Dholakia, a conservative party supporter.

This, however, is the second time that Sarosh Zaiwalla is involved in a political row of this nature. Last year, a conservative MP, Tiny Baldry was questioned by the Parliament Commissioner of Standards after it emerged that he has given Zaiwalla privileged access to the House of Commons dining room to hold his Asian business breakfast club meetings. Incidentally, Keith Vaz was also one of the speakers during those meetings. Baldry had also received a loan of £ 5000 from Zaiwalla. However, he had failed to mention their professional relationship when booking rooms and had made no reference to Zaiwalla and Co. in the register. This time however, Zaiwalla is furious, “The allegations are untrue. These allegations have been made by Andrew Milne, a salaried employee who I dismissed for misconduct in April 1998,” he says.

One cannot but add that if that were true, this former employee is perhaps settling scores with his boss and using Vaz as a scapegoat, “It’s a part of Milne’s unlawful attempts to dissuade me from pursuing my legal remedies against him,” adds Zaiwalla.

But for Keith Vaz to be in the eye of the storm could not have come at a more improper time. He had been sidelined by Tony Blair after the 1997 elections, though he deserved a ministerial portfolio causing outrage in the community since there was no Asian in the cabinet. But all that was forgotten as Blair very recently made him junior minister for Europe.

If found guilty it could prove very embarrassing to the Labour government. But Vaz is not letting it bother him. “I am completely confident that I will be able to refute it because these allegations are utterly without foundation,” he says. Tony Blair would just hope so.

KEVIN REGO