The ED has registered a cash laundering case in opposition to Congress MP Karti Chidambaram and others to probe alleged irregularities within the issuance of visas to 263 Chinese nationals in 2011 when his father P Chidambaram was the house minister, officers mentioned on Wednesday. The federal company has filed its case underneath the prison sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) taking cognisance of a current first data report (FIR) registered by the CBI in the identical case, they mentioned.
The case pertains to allegations of Rs 50 lakh being paid as kickbacks to Karti and his shut affiliate S Bhaskararaman by a prime govt of Vedanta group firm Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd. (TSPL), which was organising an influence plant in Punjab, the CBI FIR had mentioned. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had raided the premises of the Chidambaram household and arrested Bhaskararaman final week, at the same time as Karti Chidambaram is anticipated to depose earlier than it for questioning.
This is the third cash laundering case in opposition to Karti Chidambaram with the INX Media and Aircel-Maxis circumstances being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for some years now. The ED will probe the doable “proceeds of crime” that might have been generated as a result of alleged criminal activity within the visa case, they mentioned. The accused concerned within the case can be questioned as a part of the investigation, officers mentioned. Fifty-year-old Karti Chidambaram, the Congress MP from the Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu, has denied all allegations.
In an announcement posted on his Twitter deal with on Tuesday, he mentioned “if this is not harassment, not a witch hunt, then what is.” “I have full faith in the judiciary of our great country and trust the institution to stand by the truth. It does not intimidate me that the central government is once again using its agencies to accuse me of a malicious and completely fabricated charge,” he mentioned.
“Previously, the agencies have gone after me based on the statement of an undertrial murder suspect. Now, they are basing their bogus charges on the alleged actions of a deceased person, whom I have never met. I intend to continue to fight every one of their motivated attempts to target my father through me,” the Congress MP mentioned.
He mentioned he was “certain that he never facilitated even a single Chinese national in their visa process, let alone 250.” According to the CBI, the work for organising the ability venture was being executed by a Chinese firm and was working not on time. A TSPL govt had sought re-issuance of venture visas for 263 Chinese staff for which Rs 50 lakh allegedly exchanged arms, based on the CBI FIR.
The company has alleged that Bhaskararaman was approached by Vikas Makharia, the then affiliate vice chairman of TSPL, for the reissue of venture visas for the Chinese staff working on the Mansa-based energy plant. The CBI FIR alleged that Makharia approached Karti Chidambaram by way of his “close associate/front man” Bhaskararaman.
“They devised a back-door way to defeat the purpose of ceiling (maximum of project visas permissible to the company’s plant) by granting permission to reuse 263 project visas allotted to the said Chinese company’s officials,” it was alleged. Project visas had been a particular facility launched in 2010 for the ability and metal sector for which detailed pointers had been issued throughout P Chidambaram’s tenure as the house minister however there was no provision of re-issue of venture visas, the FIR alleged.
“As per prevalent guidelines, deviation in rare and exceptional cases could be considered and granted only with the approval of the home secretary. However, in view of the above circumstances, the deviation in terms of reuse of project visas is likely to be approved by the then Home Minister…,” it additional alleged. The CBI, in its FIR of May 14, has named Karti Chidambaram, Bhaskararaman, Makharia, Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL), and Mumbai-based Bell Tools Limited, by way of which alleged bribes had been routed.
The case was registered underneath Indian Penal Code sections 120-B (prison conspiracy) and 477A (falsification of accounts) and sections 8 and 9 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Makharia allegedly submitted a letter to the house ministry on July 30, 2011, searching for approval to reuse the venture visas allotted to his firm, which was accepted inside a month and permission was issued, officers mentioned.
It alleged that the fee of the bribe was routed from TSPL to Karti Chidambaram and Bhaskararaman by way of Mumbai-based Bell Tools Ltd with funds camouflaged underneath two invoices raised for consultancy and out-of-pocket bills for works associated to visas for the Chinese staff. Makharia had later thanked Karti Chidambaram and Bhaskararaman in an e-mail, the CBI alleged.
Source: www.financialexpress.com”