Annex 178
Letter to the Parliamentary Commissioner
for Standards from Mr Ramesh Nanda, Asian Business Network
Keith Vaz MP has passed to me with your permission
a copy of your letter dated 3 March 2000 and his letter dated
7 March 2000.
I am writing to you as the Chairman of the Asian
Business Network. Mr Vaz said you sought clarification of events
that Mr S Zaiwalla has supported. May we say at the outset how
grateful we are to Mr Zaiwalla for his support over the years.
Mr Zaiwalla supported two ABN events in 1998
these were as follows:
The first was on 2 July 1998 held at the SAS
Portman Hotel, the guest of honour was The Rt Hon Jack Straw MP,
the Home Secretary. Three hundred people attended, Mr Zaiwalla
bought a table for £500 at this Gala Dinner.
The second event was on 17 July 1998 (not 17
July 1997). This was the Gala Dinner at which Anoushka Shankar
the daughter of Ravi Shankar performed a concert immediately before
the dinner and the Guests of Honour were the Foreign Secretary,
Robin Cook MP and Terry Leahy the Chief Executive of Tesco. The
confusion has risen because your letter and Mr Vaz's letter states
that the event took place in 1997, it was not, it was 1998 at
the Radisson Edwardian Hotel. Our records show that Mr Zaiwalla
did not attend this event though we acknowledge his support. He
bought a table for £500.
You asked Mr Vaz whether there was a third event
at the end of October/November. The only other one involving the
ABN was a Business Breakfast for the Trade Minister on 26 November
1998 which Mr Zaiwalla was invited to attend at the Washington
Mayfair Hotel. He did not according to our records sponsor this
event.
I hope the above information is helpful and
if you require any further information, please do not hesitate
to contact me.
May I emphasise again that the ABN would not
be able to represent the Asian business community without the
support of people like Mr Zaiwalla and we are grateful for his
support.
10 March 2000
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