Congress MP Karti Chidambaram was questioned again by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case involving the issuing of visas to Chinese people in 2011.
Karti Chidamabaram/ Agencies
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram was questioned again by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case involving the issuing of visas to Chinese people in 2011.
The 52-year-old member from Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency was previously questioned on December 23, last year. During the session, he made a statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the PTI report added.
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Karti Chidambaram, appearing before the investigating officer at the ED headquarters in central Delhi, described the proceedings as normal. He criticised the process as pointless, blaming it on the impending elections.
"This is a routine affair. These are things that happen routinely, especially when elections come near. These are all exercises in futility. We will go through them," Karti told reporters before going inside the agency's office, stated the PTI report.
#WATCH | Delhi: Congress MP Karti Chidambaram appears before the ED, in connection with an alleged money laundering case, says, "As elections are nearby, these are all routine affairs. And there's nothing much about it. I've done this before. I'm just doing this again. It's a… pic.twitter.com/6NrJ72H2ps
— ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2024
According to the report, the money laundering case, which was brought under the PMLA, stemmed from a CBI FIR. Karti and his close colleague, S Bhaskararaman, allegedly collected Rs 50 lakh in kickbacks from a key official of Vedanta group's Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd. (TSPL). The CBI investigation connects this to the re-issuance of project visas for 263 Chinese workers participating in the Punjab power plant project.
Previously, the CBI raided the Chidambaram family's residence and arrested Bhaskararaman, while Karti was questioned, the report added.
Karti Chidambaram had previously called the ED investigation "vague and broad." He insisted that he had already supplied the needed documentation to the authorities, dismissing the matter as frivolous. He categorically rejected any easing of the visa procedure for Chinese nationals, emphasising that the issue was an attempt to undermine his father, prominent Congress leader P Chidambaram, via him, the PTI report stated.
This is Karti's third money laundering case, with the ED still looking into the INX Media and Aircel-Maxis cases.
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