ED no authority to probe under PMLA: Chidambaram on raids

Union Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said nothing was found and nothing was seized from Karti's homes where Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids in Delhi and Chennai in connection with Aircel-Maxis case.

Speaking to media on ED raids, the senior Congress leader said that "There is no FIR concerning a scheduled crime by CBI or any agency. I anticipated they'll search premises in Chennai again but in a comedy of errors they came to Jor Bagh (in Delhi) & officers told me that they thought Karti is an occupant of this house but he is not."

"They (ED officials) searched & found nothing but since they had to justify themselves they took papers of a statement made by govt in the Parliament, a few years back. The ED has no jurisdiction to investigate under PMLA," ANI quoted Chidambaram as saying.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Saturday said he wasn't surprised by the malicious vendetta being unleashed against senior Congress leaders including P Chidambaram and his son. In a statement to ANI, Surjewala said: "Everyday PM Modi and his government use ED and CBI as captive puppets to seek revenge on the opposition."

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday conducted searches at Karti Chidambaram's premises in New Delhi and Chennai in connection with the INX Media money laundering case.

The case relates to the approvals the Foreign Investment Promotion Board granted for the Aircel-Maxis deal in 2006 when P Chidambaram was the finance minister. Karti Chidambaram is accused of facilitating bribes in the Aircel-Maxis transaction. The investigative agency is looking into "the circumstances" in which P Chidambaram, in his capacity as the finance minister then, had granted the Foreign Investment Promotion Board approvals.

OneIndia News