New Delhi, Dec. 28: A London-based businessman who may have played middleman between Sweden-based company Masefield A.G. and Iraqi oil-for-food scam beneficiaries is now on the Enforcement Directorate radar.

The directorate is planning to question Aditya Khanna, son of Vipin Khanna who is believed to be close to former foreign minister Natwar Singh.

Vipin is a well-known arms dealer. The Central Vigilance Commission had termed him an “undesirable contact person” in a defence deal report.

Vipin’s name was mentioned by Anil Mathrani, former ambassador to Croatia, in an informal interview to a newsmagazine. Mathrani had alleged that Natwar brought Vipin to 10 Janpath in 1999-2000 when the Luxembourg Prime Minister came calling.

Sources said the directorate had already questioned Vipin and his India-based son Arvind, a Congress MLA from Sangrur in Punjab. It is now tracking Vipin’s second son Aditya who owns a company, Pipal Software Solutions, which has offices in London and Luxembourg.

Pipal’s London office is located at 10 Telegraph House in Knightsbridge. A branch of the company was opened at Luxembourg around the time oil-for-food coupons are said to have been distributed.

The Luxembourg company, called Pipal Software Solutions, Benelux S.A., was opened on September 10, 2001, as “Societe Anonyme” with the help of one Andre Capelli. Its registered office was at L 1610 Luxembourg, 4/6, Avenue de la Gare.

Sources said directorate officials were planning to look into the alleged exchange of money between Pipal, Masefield and a company owned by Andaleeb Sehgal, Hamadan Exports. Andaleeb is a friend of Natwar’s son Jagat Singh.

A team is likely to go to Luxembourg soon to scan Pipal’s bank accounts.

Arvind has denied being questioned by the directorate. “ED officials had come to my office looking for my brother Aditya who is an NRI and was not in town.

“Aditya owned a software company by the name Pipal Software Solutions but it closed down three years ago. As its name suggests, it was purely into software solutions and not related to any other deal,” Arvind said.

He said that as far as he knew, his brother had not opened any branch in Luxembourg.

Directorate sources said Andaleeb had given a formal undertaking to go and check out Hamadan Exports’ bank accounts in Jordan and Iraq.

A company owned by a relative of Saddam Hussein, Somu Oil Trading Company, had accepted surcharge from Hamadan Exports and deposited it in Saddam’s account in Jordan, the sources said.

But Andaleeb has refused to admit that he deposited any surcharge.