CBI books Karti Chidambaram in new case of allegedly taking bribe to arrange visas
The son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram has been accused of receiving Rs 50 lakh to facilitate visas for 250 Chinese nationals during UPA regime.
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The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday filed a fresh case against Congress MP Karti Chidambaram for allegedly taking bribes to arrange visas for Chinese citizens, PTI reported, citing officials of the investigation agency.
The son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram was booked after the Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday morning searched nine locations across the country – three in Chennai, three in Mumbai and one each in Karnataka, Punjab and Odisha.
As the raids went on, Chidambaram wrote in a tweet: “I have lost count, how many times has it been? Must be a record.”
I have lost count, how many times has it been? Must be a record.
— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) May 17, 2022
P Chidambaram said that a Central Bureau of Investigation team searched his house in Chennai and his official residence in Delhi on Tuesday morning. “The team showed me a FIR in which I am not named as an accused,” he said. “The search team found nothing and seized nothing.”
The former Union finance minister said that the timing of the search was interesting, but did not elaborate on what he meant.
This morning, a CBI team searched my residence at Chennai and my official residence at Delhi. The team showed me a FIR in which I am not named as an accused.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) May 17, 2022
The search team found nothing and seized nothing.
I may point out that the timing of the search is interesting.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has alleged that Karti Chidambaram had received Rs 50 lakh as “illegal gratification” to arrange visas for 250 Chinese citizens during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance regime.
The Central Bureau of Investigation found documents linked to the alleged bribery while investigating the INX Media case, NDTV reported citing unidentified sources in the central agency.
The Enforcement Directorate had filed the money laundering case against Karti Chidambaram, INX Media, and the company’s owners Indrani and Peter Mukerjea in May 2017. The Central Bureau of Investigation has claimed there were irregularities in the foreign direct investment clearance granted to INX Media by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board in 2007.
P Chidambaram was the finance minister at the time.
The agency has submitted purported emails between INX Media and a company belonging to Karti Chidambaram, claiming that these emails will “prove offences committed”.