ED moves to court seeking cancellation of interim relief to Karti Chidambaram

New Delhi, Sep 10: The Enforcement Directorate moved to a Delhi court seeking to cancel the interim relief from arrest granted to former Union minister P Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram in a Aircel-Maxis money laundering case.

Special CBI Judge O P Saini agreed to hear the plea at 2 pm Monday after the probe agency told the court that custodial interrogation of Karti Chidambaram was required in the matter. Earlier, on August 7, the Delhi court had extended till October 8 the interim protection from arrest granted to senior Congress leader P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis cases filed by the CBI and the ED for the alleged offences of corruption and money laundering respectively.

P Chidambaram and his son were named in the charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the case on July 19. The ED is also probing a separate money-laundering case in the Aircel-Maxis matter and a charge sheet was filed against Karti Chidambaram by the agency on July 13.

The CBI is probing how P Chidambaram, who was the finance minister in 2006, granted a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to a foreign firm, when only the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) was empowered to do it. The senior Congress leader's role has come under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore. Taking a cue from the CBI FIR, the ED is probing the money laundering in the matter.

P Chidambaram and Karti Chidambaram have been questioned by the ED on various occasions, even though the politician has not been arrayed as an accused. Both Chidambaram and Karti Chidambaram have denied the allegations levelled against them by the CBI and the ED.

PTI