Lalit Modi visa row: U.K. not to probe Keith Vaz

The Commissioner for Standards examined a complaint of conflict-of-interest and dismissed it for lack of sufficient evidence.

June 15, 2015 06:33 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 05:00 pm IST - London

British MP Keith Vaz.

British MP Keith Vaz.

Keith Vaz, the senior Labour party Member of Parliament who is currently in the centre of a storm over allegations that he used his public position to facilitate the travel papers of IPL founder Lalit Modi, will not be investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Hudson.

“I can confirm that we received a complaint [against Mr. Vaz] last week,” a spokesperson from the commissioner’s office told The Hindu . “The Commissioner considered it and decided that the evidence presented did not justify an investigation.”

The identity of the complainant cannot be revealed by the office under official confidentiality rules.

The Commissioner for Standards can investigate members for breach of the Code of Conduct rules. The allegations against Mr. Vaz, who headed the powerful Home office select committee, was that he used his position at the time to pressure the visa and immigration authorities in the UK to grant Mr. Modi his papers. It is now clear that the Commissioner for Standards examined a complaint that alleged conflict-of-interest and dismissed it for lack of sufficient evidence.

Mr. Vaz has not responded publicly so far to any of the allegations.

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