President awards customs officer who worked in Africa

NEW DELHI - Debi Prasad Dash, an Indian Revenue Service officer who was a member of the UN’s Security Council panel of experts to monitor arms embargo in Sudan from 2005, was Tuesday named for the President’s Award for specially distinguished record of service on the eve of Republic Day.

Dash was appointed as a member of the UN’s Security Council panel of experts on Sudan (Darfur) by the then secretary-general Kofi Annan to monitor arms embargo and other sanctions.

Dash visited many African countries including Sudan (Darfur) and Chad to meet various armed groups operating with links to Al Qaeda and other armed groups based in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia, among the most volatile conflict zones of the world, and submitted reports to the UN.

He has also served as a member of Interpol’s Working Group on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, IMF-World Bank and UN Office on Drugs and Crime group in which he drafted the model law on anti-money laundering and combating financing of terrorism.

Working as additional director-general of the department here at present, Dash also known for investigating the Harshad Mehta stock market scam in the early 1990s, has served as superintendent of police and deputy inspector general of police in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI.

He has also served as consultant of counter-terrorism in the Commonwealth Secretariat, London, and has drafted a counter-terrorism training manual for police officials, well-received by Interpol.