Karan Chanana, 49, the head of the global rice brand Amira, has donated more than .000 220,000 to the Conservative party through the British company Amira G Foods since September 2019. Chanana, originally from India, is a Maltese citizen and Amira Nature Foods is based in Dubai, a British Virgin Islands (BVI). The last 50 50,000 donation was made in December, according to the Electoral Commission. London-based Amira G Foods says in its corporate accounts that it relies on funding from BVI Amira Nature Foods. The British company had net liabilities of 96 5.96 million on March 31 last year, according to its latest accounts. Donations underscore the lack of transparency about the ultimate source of corporate donations. Political parties are not allowed to accept donations from foreign companies and individuals, but there are long-standing concerns about the looseness of the rules. Companies are not required to disclose whether the donations come from foreign funds or income from the United Kingdom. Amira did not answer any questions last week about donations and her accounts do not disclose UK revenue. The Electoral Commission says it has called on the government to tighten controls to ensure that foreign money is not used to fund political parties. Under current rules, a company registered in the UK is required to “continue” in the UK to make political donations. Chanana hoped to turn Indian food company Amira into the world’s top rice brand. He turned a family business founded in 1915 into a major international producer of specialty Indian rice. The company specializes in Indian basmati rice, grown in the foothills of the Himalayas. Amira Nature Foods was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in October 2012 and its rice was sold worldwide, including in British supermarkets. Chanana is the president and CEO of the company and its major shareholder. Amira Nature Foods, owned by Tory donor Karan Chanana, is headquartered in Dubai. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace / AFP / Getty Images However, its operations in India sparked controversy in November 2020 when a group of creditor banks filed a complaint with the Central Research Office of India accusing Amira Pure Foods, the group’s subsidiary in India, of defaulting on interest payments. She said the bank-appointed accountants found alleged “obvious irregularities” in her accounts. Bankers involved in the allegations against Amira Pure Foods have also filed for insolvency against the company in India, and it is now in liquidation. Insolvency documents reveal that the claims from financial creditors against the company exceed £ 230 million. Amira Nature Foods was also delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in August 2020 after missing out on financial reporting deadlines. Its rice brands are no longer widely available in the UK. The company is headquartered in the 35-storey Gold Tower in Dubai, which has a cross section in the shape of a gold leaf and gold windows. It is also based in London. Chanana enjoyed publicity as one of India’s most successful businessmen as he built his international food brand, appearing regularly in the media as a commentator. He has spent great time in Britain building his international business, giving the UK as his home in the company archives and regularly entertaining colleagues and friends in London. A spokesman for the Electoral Commission said: “The committee has been proposing for some time to the UK Government and Parliament to work with us on how to improve controls over donations and loans to prevent the use of foreign money in UK policy. . “We believe the law needs to be changed to prevent parties and activists from accepting money from companies that have not set up enough in the UK to fund their donation or loan.” The Conservative Party, Chanana and Amira Nature Foods did not respond to a request for comment.
