BY EMMAN OVUAKPORIE
ABUJA—THE Vaswani brothers are again in the news over alleged N50 billion tax waivers granted by the Federal Government to Stallion Group owned by them, as the House of Representatives is set to investigate the manner  the waiver was granted.

The Vaswani brothers, who were alleged to have evaded taxes running into billions in the past, are this time, neck-deep in a N50 billion rice importation waiver.

The House had alleged that the Vaswani brothers, Maresh, Haresh and Sunil, got the waiver to import 500 tonnes of rice into the country.

In a motion moved by Mr.  Mohammed Ahmed Wudil,  yesterday, he noted that the Federal Government had been granting frivolous import waivers to many foreign companies registered in the country without due diligence on such companies.

He observed that the Vaswani brothers had been granted N50 billion through their company, Stallion, for the importation of rice.

The House, however, resolved that the Committees on Agriculture, Finance and Commerce and Customs should investigate the import waiver granted the Vaswani brothers, with a view to recovering the lost revenue and make recommendation to the House within two weeks.

It would be recalled that the Vaswanis had been under prosecution by  the EFCC over colossal tax evasion but Indian brothers got the charges dropped against them and the efforts of the anti-graft agency was thwarted.

The Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration had deported the Indians, who are also British citizens in 2006, over alleged tax evasion but got a court judgement that brought them back during the administration of Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and continued business in the country.