There are more skeletons tumbling out of the closet of controversial meat exporter and a regular at former CBI chief Ranjit Sinha’s residence, Moin Qureshi. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has found that the payment to Jean Louise Deniot, the French architect who designed Qureshi’s Rs 200-crore palace in Delhi’s Chattarpur locality, was paid through hawala channel. Denoit was chosen to design the house by Nasreen Qureshi, wife of Moin Qureshi.

ED sources say that the French architect was paid an ‘obscene amount’ through a web of companies in Hong Kong and Dubai. The payment was made to Deniot in four tranches -- two each from Qureshi’s meat-marketing companies in Hong Kong and Dubai. dna has learnt that the French architect is also involved in designing a 24,000 sq ft French-style mansion in New Delhi’s tony diplomatic neighbourhood of Malcha Marg. In addition, Deniot has been paid by unknown persons for building a 25,000 sq ft mansion in Chandigarh.

Deniot’s multi-million dollar project for an ‘Indian client’ at Mayfair, overlooking Hyde Park in London, is also under ED scanner.

Why is ED on Nasreen's trail?Qureshi's Pakistani origin wife Nasreen has allegedly spent millions of dollars in shopping for luxury brands in New York, Paris and London. The ED is scanning hotel records where Nasreen stayed during her shopping sprees. The shopping bills along with the hotel bills were allegedly settled through hawala.

Who cleared Nasreen's bills?According to ED sources, the bills were cleared by Dubai-based companies owned by Nasreen’s father and brother, both of whom are Pakistani nationals. “The money to the Dubai-based companies of Nasreen’s brother was sent by a Delhi-based agent of Moin Qureshi,” said ED sources.

Will designer daughter spill the beans?Qureshi’s fashion designer daughter Pernia Qureshi’s transactions are also likely to be probed to ascertain his wife’s role in the hawala payments. A string of such ‘shopping trips and hotel stays’ are under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate.

Who own the Dubai-based firms?Investigators believe that most of the hawala payments for these high-end purchases were routed through Dubai-based companies owned by Nasreen's brother, who is a Pakistani citizen. The ED is probing the money trail behind the purchases of high-end luxury interiors for the Qureshi’s French-style Delhi mansion. Nasreen had paid Deniot to decorate the mansion with antique French chandeliers, mother-of-pearl cabinets, 17th century Italian urns, custom made velvet-coated stools and other luxury interiors from across the world.

When the couple is likely to be quizzed?\The ED is likely to question both Moin Qureshi and his wife Nasreen in the first week of February.