After more than three hours of long arguments, the Delhi Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court on Thursday sent former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti to custody for five days. The courtroom was packed with actions, arguments and counter-arguments and CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) produced documents of Karti’s money trail from INX Media and clearly said that its promoters Peter and Indrani Mukerjea had met then Finance Minister Chidambaram. Judge Sunil Rana allowed advocates to meet Kart in the morning and evening for an hour in custody while declining food from outside.
Chidambaram and wife Nalini were present throughout the court proceedings while avoiding talking to media. Reaching the courtroom around 2:30 PM, Chidambaram walked up to his son, who was brought to the court by CBI. “Be stern. I am here,” said father to the son. Karti was seen quarreling with CBI officers on many occasions. Before delivering the order, Judge allowed him to interact with family members. When Karti was found talking with friends in Tamil, CBI officers warned him and said he should speak in English. Karti retorted to them that they should only speak in English and avoid Hindi with him. CBI officers reminded Karti that he is in custody and they are not and should obey orders.
CBI and ED sought 14 days custody showing documents of money deals and confessions of bribe giver Indrani and Chartered Accountant Bhaskar Raman. The agencies were represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG ) Tushar Mehta. Karti was represented by Congress leader and noted lawyer Abhishek Singhvi, who argued for more than two hours. Many times, CBI objected to the arguments of Singhvi and rebutted with facts and documents.
Mehta also informed the Court that Karti was taken to a hospital for medical checking on Wednesday night and stayed in the Safdarjung Hospital as per the recommendation of the Doctor and was back to CBI office only in the morning at around 7:30 AM. While CBI was taking him to their office in the evening, Karti told media that he will be eventually vindicated.
The CBI on Wednesday arrested former Karti from Chennai airport[1]. The sleuths of the probe agency whisked way Karti when he landed at the airport from a British Airways flight from France via London. Karti was taken into custody by CBI officials of Delhi Anti Corruption Branch from the Immigration counter at 6:45 AM and airlifted to Delhi to produce before him the Patiala House Court in the evening. Karti was sent to CBI custody for a day by the duty Judge Sumit Anand.
Hearing of his son’s arrest, Chidambaram who had landed in Heathrow airport in London on Wednesday afternoon canceled his programmes in Oxford and returned to India.
In their FIRs, the CBI and the ED accused Karti of accepting bribes of around Rs.5 crores from INX Media promoters Peter and Indrani Mukerjea. In 2007, the INX Media got FIPB clearance to bring just Rs.5 crores as FDI. But the company illegally brought in Rs.306 crores through tax havens including Mauritius, said the agencies. Chidambaram has been accused of giving post facto clearance for the enhanced investment as the head of the FIPB. The agencies in their charge sheets said that Chidambaram dishonestly and illegally approved the FIPB’s post facto clearance to save Peter and Indrani from Income Tax’s huge penalty.
According to investigators, Indrani has confessed that her first meeting with Karti took place n Delhi’s Hyatt Hotel where he agreed to do her the “favour” for a kickback of one million dollars. It is learned that Indrani and Peter also met Chidambaram later. In the meeting at Finance Minister’s office, Chidambaram told the couple to help the son’s business and Seven lakh dollars ($700,000) were transferred to Karti’s firms, say CBI officers. The amount was transferred to Karti’s firms, Chess Management Services, and Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited.
The INX media scam was unearthed during the joint raid of ED and Income Tax in December 2015 at Karti’s companies in connection with the Aircel-Maxis scam. The investigators seized hard disks from the Karti’s firms, unearthing details of the family’s properties and hotels and farm houses in 14 countries and 21 undeclared foreign bank accounts. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in February 2017, brought the Income Tax evaluation report of more than 200 pages in the public domain exposing Chidambaram family’s assets and foreign bank accounts[2]. He also complained to Prime Minister for registering the cases new Black Money and Benami Acts to attach all the assets of the Chidambaram family amassed globally through corruption[3].
References:
[1] Law catches up with Karti. CBI & ED to summon Chidambaram. Father & son met Indrani & Peter during the bribe days – Feb 28, 2018, PGurus.com
[2] Chidambara Rahasya – Details of huge secret assets & foreign bank accounts of Chidambaram family – Mar 15, 2017, PGurus.com
[3] Swamy accuses CBDT of going slow in the probe against Chidambaram under Black Money and Benami acts – Aug 6, 2017, PGurus.com
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Pc n family are Mother son benamis
NOW PC IS ON HIS MOVE TO RUN AWAY FROM INDIA. IS GOVT. LEGALLY EQUIPPED TO PREVENT HIM?
The father son duo has the blessings of the mother son duo. Therefore, the junior member feels he can afford to be brazen and arrogant in his approach to the investigating authorities. There is also the unknown support element from the deep state built by congress over the years at all levels of government and other institutions for the congress politician. Only a fiercely independent and efficient investigating authority can bring the criminal looters to book. The common man keeps his fingers crossed as the events unfold, with the hope that the guilty will surely be punished this time.
Thanks for current update on pc
I have a question. Now with CBI and ED taking this case, is it mandatory for these institutes to report to the Finance ministry about the evidences they have and it’s plan to gather more evidences to convict karthi in this case or they can work independently? because I am afraid the FM may play spoilsport here. Tks.
After 2G fiasco in our holy judiciary, it is not surprising Karti and Chidambaram are brazen. Congress is adept in evading justice. All emergency warriors went scot free despite Shah Commission. 1984 Sikh massacre ditto, Bofor loot ditto. Our judiciary is the ultimate and unfailing and dependable protector of high profile wrong doers. So Karti’s confidence may not be misplaced.
true observation. never trust these black-coats
Even the ‘belated arrest’ of Karti was an ‘extremely reluctant step’ made possible by public ‘spirited persons & groups’ like PGurus. My sceptical mind says Karti arrest is only for public consumption. All efforts to dilute the cases against them will be taken. ‘Aircel Maxis’, ‘Telephone Exchange’, ‘2G’ – the list is endless. It seems CBI is still under UPA-III led by Chidus, Jaitleys, Sibbals.
SIR Watch the debates on NDTV’S NOTHING LEFT , NOTHING RIGHT AND NO CENTRE MORE AND MORE , and its clear the guy is as Guilty as hell. Government spookies should not come on these corrupt channels as the they field the whole panel which is anti Hindu, anti RSS and pro criminals , no matter how much criminality the accused has endured in. They field 5 pannelist against 1 for the government. NDTV should be taken to task by the govenment as it spreading anti Govenment propaganda on daily basis. Government spookies apart from Dr Swamy , are failing miserably against the narrative the corrupt are building, with the help of ANCHRORS. On the last episode , just see how Razdan and the other pannelist mocked the BJP pannelist when he said CBI IS INDEPENDENT. WHY APPEAR ON THESE CHANNELS AND GIVE THEM TRP.
Sri Sri Chidambaram a RESPECTABLE MAN IN CONGRESS LED GOVTS is to face a fall like this? HE WAS TAUGHT BY CONGRESS HIGH COMMAND AND HE FOLLOWED OBEDIENTLY WHATS HIS FAULT? IF HE WERE TOLD TO BE LOYAL TO PEOPLE OF INDIA HE WOULD DO! BUT EVERYTHING IS GOD’S WILL! GOD S TOLD ARJUNA ‘ jah shastrabimutsrijya bartate kaamkaaratah , na sa sidhwimabaapnoti nasukhang na partang gating”
poor man kya kare? HIGH COMMAND ANTI HINDU USKE ORDER VI ANTI GOD!
AVI BHOGO!