Former Union Mister and Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram is being questioned today by the Enforcement Directorate for his alleged involvement in the INX media money laundering case. He was also questioned by the agency in the same case on December 19 last year for eight hours.
According to reports, the Congress veteran leader appeared at the ED’s office at around 11 am today.
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Last month, the Delhi High Court had extended the interim protection to Chidambaram from arrest and granted anticipatory bail ’till January 15. However, he was instructed by the court to cooperate with agencies in the case.
Both P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram are accused in the INX Media scam which involves charges of bribery and lobbying in granting foreign investments worth Rs 300 crores to INX Media. INX Media was later known as NewsX, it was owned by Peter and Indrani Mukherjee of the sensational Sheena Bora murder case. ED had initiated a probe on the basis of the Central Bureau of Investigation’s FIR. Chidambaram is accused of misusing his power as the finance minister to grant INX Media an FIPB clearance.
Karti was arrested by agencies last year in February for allegedly lobbying for the Mukerjees, in order to get FIPB clearance from Finance Ministry, which at the time was under his father. The ED had also attached properties and bank deposits of Karti Chidambaram worth around Rs.54 crores in connection with the case, in October last year.
Meanwhile, the CBI and other agencies are also probing a similar case involving Chidambaram and his son, the Aircel-Maxis scam. The CBI is probing alleged irregularities in grant of FIPB approval in Aircel-Maxis deal, while the ED is probing alleged money-laundering related to the deal.