New Delhi: The CBI on Tuesday searched the homes and offices of Karti Chidambaram, son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, across four cities for allegedly receiving money from a media firm owned by Indrani and Peter Mukerjea to scuttle a tax probe.
CBI sleuths fanned out across the Chidambarams’ properties in Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Gurugram early in the morning. The investigating agency had filed an FIR on Monday evening on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, receiving illegal gratification, influencing public servants and criminal misconduct.
It is alleged that Karti received money from INX Media for using his influence to manipulate a tax probe against it in a case of violation of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) conditions to receive investment from Mauritius.
His father issued a strong statement in response to say that the government was using the CBI and other agencies to target his son.
FIPB approval was granted in “hundreds of cases”, the senior Congress leader said.
“The government, using the CBI and other agencies, is targeting my son and his friends…The government’s aim is to silence my voice and stop me from writing, as it has tried to do in the cases of leaders of opposition parties, journalists, columnists, NGOs and civil society organisations,” he said.
But he would continue to speak and write, the former minister declared.
According to the CBI, INX Media clearly states in its records that Rs 10 lakh was given to Advantage Straetgic Consulting (P) Limited, a firm “indirectly” owned by Karti, for management consultancy charged towards FIPB notification and clarification.
The FIR also alleges that invoices of approximately Rs 3.5 crore were raised in favour of INX group in the name of other companies in which Karti had substantial interests “directly or indirectly”.
The agency has registered an FIR against Karti, his company Chess Management Services, the Mukerjeas (currently in jail on charges of murder their daughter Sheena Bora), INX Media, Advantage Strategic Consulting Services and its Director Padma Vishwanathan.
The allegations levelled by the CBI are based on the information given by “source”, the FIR has claimed.
Ironically, though the FIR names Karti and claims that he exerted his influence on Finance Ministry officials, it does not identify the officials of either the FIPB or the ministry or list them as accused.
