No clean chit to Karmapa in cash row yet: Dhumal

DHARAMSALA - Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Saturday said Tibetan religious leader Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje has not yet been given a clean chit following the discovery of unaccounted money from his monastery, but added that the state government had not made any accusations against him.

Investigations are still on into the nearly Rs.70 million worth of foreign and Indian currency recovered from his monastery near here, the chief minister said.

Dhumal’s remarks came a day after Chief Secretary Rajwant Sandhu gave the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, a clean chit, saying he had no involvement in the financial irregularities.

“Neither have we held him guilty nor given him a clean chit. Investigations are still on,” Dhumal told reporters in Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama.

“Central and state investigating agencies are conducting the probe. Once the probe is complete, we will be in a position to comment,” he said.

“The central agencies (Enforcement Directorate too) is probing into the recovery of huge foreign currency. The state has never made any accusation against him and the question of giving clean chit does not arise,” Dhumal added.

Police Jan 28 recovered foreign and Indian currency from the Karmapa Lama’s monastery, Gyuto Tantric University and Monastery, near Dharamsala.

Sandhu said Friday: “There is no involvement of the Karmapa (in any financial irregularities). We have reasons to believe that some donations came for the monastery and the Karmapa has nothing to do with that.”

“The Karmapa is a religious head and has followers across the world. We respect their religious activities. We don’t interfere in any religious affairs,” she said.

She, however, said police were still investigating where the seized currency, the bulk of it Chinese yuan, came from, its origin and for what purpose it was kept.

Seven people, including the Karmapa’s aide Rubgi Chosang, also known as Shakti Lama, are in police custody.

Police still believe the seized money was meant for some “illegal” land deal in Dharamsala with the involvement of Shakti Lama.

The Karmapa fled Tibet and sought refuge in India in January 2000. Since then, he has mostly lived at the monastery in Sidhbari near Dharamsala.