Lalit's 'superstar': the controversial life of Keith Vaz

In 2001, Vaz, along with other MPs, made enquiries to the Home Office about the passport applications of the Hinduja brothers. These applications had turned into a major controversy in the UK Parliament. The brothers were clients of his wife Maria Fernandes' firm, and were close to his family. In wake of the scandal, Vaz admitted to helping them, along with other British Asians, but denied any conflict of interest. He resigned from his post on medical grounds.

Later in 2001, he was linked with Nadhmi Auchi, a British-Iraqi billionaire who was charged by the French establishment for a major corruption scandal. Vaz had been a director of the British arm of Auchi's corporation till 1999, and had created a strong political network for him. In 2001, he made enquiries to the Home Office regarding the extradition procedure of Auchi, and had tried to prevent it. Vaz managed to skim through this with the Labour Party standing behind him.

The following year, Vaz was caught in a bigger controversy. He was found guilty of falsely accusing a retired policewoman, Eileen Eggington, of making malicious calls to his mother.

Eggington had statements from a former employee of Vaz, who revealed that the family employed an illegal immigrant as a nanny and often received gifts from British Asian businessmen. The Commons Standard and Privileges committee found him guilty on three charges, and suspended him for a month.

[twittable]Vaz allegedly helped people who've had serious fraud charges against them, like Hindujas and Nadhmi Auchi[/twittable]

In 2010, the spotlight was back on Vaz for his proximity to one Shahrokh Mireskandari, who's been convicted on various criminal charges, including faking legal qualifications and running a bogus legal firm. The Daily Mail claimed he was cultivating Vaz and his family with 'lavish hospitality and entertainment', which included a luxurious trip to Rome.

Vaz travelled in business class, stayed at a five-star hotel, dined in expensive restaurants and shopped in designer boutiques. Vaz returned the favour by intervening in a Solicitors Regulation Authority investigation against the Iranian-born conman. When Vaz was questioned about this, he maintained that he did not know Moreskandari very well, and denied all allegations.

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In September 2012, The Telegraph produced a 2001 Scotland Yard document that mentioned 'numerous unexplained payments' into bank accounts linked to Vaz and his family. The payments, received over six years, allegedly amounted to more than 500,000 pounds. Even though there was no investigation against the MP, it became a major embarrassment for his party. Vaz was once again questioned for his secrecy, and replied with the suave confidence typical of him.