New Delhi: Karti Chidambaram, a Member of Parliament from the Congress party, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the issuance of visas to Chinese nationals in 2011, according to official sources.
Chidambaram, who had dismissed the case as “most bogus,” categorized the charges into three levels: bogus, more bogus, and most bogus. He asserted that his legal team would handle the matter. The ED’s inquiry is based on a complaint filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The 52-year-old legislator from the Sivaganga Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu had previously ignored two summonses from the central agency, labeling the investigation as a “fishing and roving” inquiry.
The ED case revolves around allegations of Rs 50 lakh being paid as kickbacks to Karti and his close associate Bhaskararaman by a top executive of Vedanta group company Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd. (TSPL). TSPL was involved in setting up a power plant in Punjab, and the CBI is probing the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The charges stem from the execution of the power project by a Chinese company, which was reportedly running behind schedule. The CBI alleges that a TSPL executive facilitated the re-issuance of project visas for 263 Chinese workers, with Rs 50 lakh allegedly changing hands. These details were revealed in an FIR filed by the CBI, leading to the initiation of a money laundering case.
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