India has sought assistance from Switzerland in the investigations into Swiss bank accounts allegedly held by former Union minister Preneet Kaur and her son, the European nation disclosed on Tuesday. The names of Kaur and her son Raninder Singh were published by the Switzerland government’s federal gazette, AFP reported. The Federal Tax Administration of Switzerland asked them to file an appeal within ten days they can exercise their "right to be heard”. Switzerland has been cracking down on foreigners who have opened bank accounts in the country, following global pressure to act against those storing illicit funds within its protected banking system.
Earlier, Kaur's name had come up in a leaked HSBC list, but she had refuted the charge of having any undisclosed foreign accounts. Kaur is the wife of former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, was the minister of state for external affairs from 2009-14 in the Manmohan Singh government.
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