Chinese Visa Case: Karti Chidambaram Calls ED's Probe 'Fishing And Roving', Seeks More Time To Collect Docs
The MP was summoned to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on December 16 after citing his involvement in the present Parliament session.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram has requested an exemption from appearing before the ED on Saturday in a money laundering case linked to the issuance of visas to some Chinese nationals in 2011, claiming that the investigation was "fishing and roving" and that he needed time to collect documents, news agency PTI reported. The federal agency originally requested that the 52-year-old member from Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga seat appear in front of the case's investigating officer on December 12 in Delhi. The MP was summoned to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on December 16 after citing his involvement in the present Parliament session.
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR, the 2022 ED case involves allegations of Rs 50 lakh in kickbacks paid to Karti and his close associate S Bhaskararaman by a top executive of Vedanta group company Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd. (TSPL), which was setting up a power plant in Punjab.
The CBI complaint led to the money laundering investigation.
Karti, through his lawyer, sent a roughly 100-page response to the investigating officer of the case, attaching his election affidavit, Income Tax return, details of bank accounts, and immovable assets, while also requesting an exemption from appearing on Saturday and more time to provide all of the documents requested by the agency.
It was unclear if the ED considered his plea.
Karti's lawyer stated that client was willing to go before the agency and cooperate in the inquiry, but he had certain concerns.
According to him, the new summons do not reveal the claims against the MP or whether he was called as a "accused or witness" in the case.
The MP stated in the letter that the information and documents sought from him are "in the nature of a fishing and roving enquiry" and that there is no justification to include his and his family members' personal financial issues in this investigation.
Karti informed the ED that, in the "spirit of cooperating with the investigation," he had already supplied to the agency the documents and data sought in the past, while information about his financial affairs was accessible in the public domain via his election affidavit.
The MP stated that he provided these papers to the ED as much as 19 times between 2018 and 2019 in the INX Media and Aircel-Maxis case.
He claimed that the most recent summons were issued "mechanically," but he will need time to submit the documents again because they are "extremely voluminous in nature" and are available at his Chennai office and residence, but he was in Delhi "due to the ongoing winter session of Parliament."
Karti informed PTI earlier this week that the case was "most bogus" and that his legal team will pursue it.
The CBI searched the Chidamabram family's premises last year and detained Bhaskararaman as Karti was being questioned.
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