In a surprise move, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths on Wednesday early morning whisked away former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti from Chennai airport as soon as he landed in a British Airways flight from France via London, in the INX Media bribe case. 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 be produced before the Patiala House Court in the evening. Karti was sent to CBI custody for a day by the duty Judge Sumit Anand and will be produced before Judge Sunil Rana on Thursday, in front of whom the INX Media case is registered.
Arguing before Judge Sumit Anand, the CBI sought 15 days of custody of Karti, citing his non-cooperation with agencies for the past one year in the INX Media case. CBI’s counsel also told the court that the bribe giver Indrani has confessed to them and that her statement is recorded about giving one million dollars to Karti through is firms in 2007 to get the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance from Chidambaram. Though Karti’s arrest was imminent since two weeks ago the CBI recorded the arrest of bribe giver Indrani Mukerjea and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Chidambaram family’s Chartered Accountant Bhaskar Raman, Chidambaram family thought that CBI and ED’s would wait as father and son have petitioned against the agencies in Supreme Court.
On hearing his son’s arrest, Chidambaram, who landed at Heathrow airport in London on Wednesday afternoon canceled his programmes in Oxford and returned back to India. Chidambaram left India from Delhi Airport on a 2:30 AM flight to attend a seminar, where Congress MP Salman Khurshid also was to have spoken. Karti’s mother and lawyer Nalini Chidambaram also rushed to Delhi and was seen coordinating the battery of lawyers led by Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
CBI and ED in its First Information Reports (FIR)s accused Karti for accepting a bribe of around Rs.5 crores from INX Media promoters Peter and Indrani Mukerjea. In 2007, the INX Media got FIPB clearance to bring in just Rs.5 crores as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). But the company illegally brought in Rs.306 crores through tax havens including Mauritius, said the agencies. Within six months, Income Tax found the illegality of routing Rs.306 crores while having a clearance of only Rs.5 crores. Thereafter, the duo approached Karti, the then Finance Minister Chidambaram’s son for post facto FIPB clearance. The agencies in their charge sheets said that as Finance Minister, 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 already confessed to them that the first meeting with Karti happened in Delhi’s Hyatt Hotel and agreed for a kickback of One million dollars[1]. It is learned that Indrani and Peter also met Chidambaram later and the former Finance Minister was also aware of this transaction to his son’s firms Chess Management Services and Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited.
The INX media scam was unearthed during a joint raid of ED and Income Tax in December 2015 at Karti’s companies in connection with the Aircel-Maxis scam. The investigators seized the hard disks from the Karti’s firms, unearthing details of the family’s properties and hotels and farmhouses in 14 countries and 21 undeclared foreign bank accounts[2].
Now CBI and ED are expected to summon Chidambaram soon. Sensing danger, Chidambaram had approached Supreme Court last week with a curious petition accusing CBI and ED for hunting him and son in Aircel-Maxis and INX Media cases. In the 26-page petition, Chidambaram argued that he deserves right of privacy, protection from witch hunting and other fundamental rights[3]. The case is not yet listed as the Registry found many faults in the petition. It is learned that SC Registry has asked Chidambaram for certain rectifications in the petition. Karti also filed a similar petition against the agencies and Supreme Court has not given any relief and posted for next hearing on March 6. Now with today’s arrest of Karti, all the legal options in the higher forums have literally closed for Chidambaram and son.
References:
[1] INX Media case – CBI & ED to arrest bribe giver Indrani. Why not arrest the bribe taker Karti? Feb 3, 2018, PGurus.com
[2] Chidambara Rahasya – Details of huge secret assets & foreign bank accounts of Chidambaram family – Mar 25, 2017, PGurus.com
[3] After indulging in corrupt & crooked activities, Chidambaram pleads mercy to SC by lying in the petition – Feb 27, 2018, PGurus.com
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[…] Law catches up with Karti. CBI & ED to summon Chidambaram. Father & son met Indrani & Pe… – Feb 28, 2018, […]
The collateral damage caused by this shameless corruption is unfathomable. Media discussion,noisy , diverting from the topic , ludicrous arguments are sheer waste of time. Try to focus on the loss caused to the India
Brand , Exchequer , and famishing poor of the country , fed up with this hopeless situation chose to commit suicide. Should such vulgar acts of corruption be defended ?
This is the problem when good intelligence meets bad deeds. Such people are worse to mother earth than Dawood ibrahims. I pray let the justice have the last say and send these 2 criminals to Jail for life term. This will be best gift for India and may be entire world, as such intelligent and well connected, networked, political goons can disrupt the dharma more than Don’s of underworld.
I think we seem to have high hopes about our judicial system. It’s heavily loaded in favour of crooks and cheats and against Justice. Unless the judicial system is fixed, I have no hopes on judiciary, but for a few exceptional instances. Let’s wait and see.
Now Tihar will have to open ‘idli- sambaar’ cells. Very soon ‘pizza-burger’ celĺs may also be needed. The most ‘essential’ and ‘imperative’ was ‘misal-usal’ cells for the ‘looter pawars’. But inexplicably, ‘national award’ has been bestowed on the ‘corruption king’ Sharad Pawar
Thanks for current update
PC has a long arm reaching judiciary and the family has deep pockets and huge resources. Their immediate target will be to take it to 2019 hoping that there will be a different government then.
Don’t underestimate this clever gang with criminal minds
Mr Chidambaram had only proved how intelligent he is in Finance by discovering super ideas to keep the financial health of his family super strong.
But It’s sick to see such an innocent looking face having such unethical, criminal thoughts and proving utterly how unworthy his intelligence is for the country.
He goes cheaper than the cheapest lalu.
[…] Law catches up with Karti. CBI & ED to summon Chidambaram soon. Father & son met Indrani &am… – Feb 28, 2018, […]
Law should take its own course. May Ananda Vikatan of 2007 may substantiate with more linkages.