Andaleeb Sehgal and Aneil Mathrani, close associates of beleagured Union Minister Natwar Singh, were grilled by officials of the Enforcement Directorate Tuesday in connection with their visits to Iraq and alleged oil payoffs.

• Volcker Report

The interrogation of Sehgal, director of Hamdaan Exports, named as a "non-contractual beneficiary" of Iraq's controversial oil-for-food programme in the Volcker report, comes after fresh claims by Mathrani, India's ambassador to Croatia that Singh was involved in getting "oil coupons" for his son Jagat and friend Sehgal.

Sehgal arrived at the directorate's office in Khan Market at about 10:00 am, while Mathrani came for questioning 90 minutes later.

ED officials, who are investigating whether any illegal foreign currency transaction took place in connection with the oil-for-food programme, had questioned Mathrani for over five hours Tuesday.

Sehgal had been questioned by the directorate officials for several days about a month back after the findings of the United Nations-appointed committee were made public.

The committee, in the annexure of its report on Iraq's oil-for-food programme of 2001, had named Natwar Singh and the Congress party as "non-contractual" beneficiares of Iraqi oil payoffs.