NEW DELHI, MAY 11:Vice-President Hamid Ansari’s first official visit abroad ended in a diplomatic controversy after Kazakhstan customs detained an accompanying Air India official for carrying Rs 23 lakh in cash.

On April 9, a day before Ansari was to leave for India, an Air India official was held at Almaty airport before boarding an Air Kazakh flight for New Delhi. Carrying more than $50,000, he claimed it was part of the unspent contingency fund that had been brought to pay for the Vice-President’s hotel bills and sundry expenses as well as aviation turbine fuel, food and drinks for the special aircraft.

The nation’s currency export regulations stipulate declaration to the customs for amounts exceeding $3,000, provided the exported amount does not exceed the amount declared on arrival. If that happens, a special bank permission is required.

When the Kazakhs refused to let the A-I official go, the Indian embassy argued for diplomatic immunity as he was part of the team accompanying Ansari. The hosts turned it down, saying that a diplomat had to be a member of the representative office of a foreign state for being exempted from personal baggage check.

But at the intervention of the embassy, they let the official go, sources said. The money was released three days later after it was split for courier between three officials. Though the incident was confirmed by all, including India’s ambassador to Kazakhstan Ashok Sajjanhar, none was willing to provide details.

“I was tied up with the Vice-President’s visit. I didn’t get to find the details,” Sajjanhar told The Indian Express from Astana. “I can only confirm that there was no detention.” Air India spokesman Jitender Bhargava said carrying cash is a usual practice for CIS nations. “There are constraints. We don’t have office there. They don’t give credit. We pay the bills and we bill the Ministry of External Affairs,” he said.

But Bhargava could not explain why Mehta chose to leave merely 12 hours ahead of the conclusion of the Vice-President’s visit, especially when final bills were to be cleared next day. Also, travelling in the Vice-President’s special flight would have meant that his baggage would not have been subjected to extreme checks.

Ministry of External Affairs officials say the ministry usually approves the expenditure for any official visit and remits the money to the embassy concerned which makes the payment. Ansari was in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan from April 4 to 10 on his first visit abroad after assuming office.

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