Congress MP Karti Chidambaram Faces ED Questioning Again Over Alleged Kickbacks For Visa Issuance To Chinese Nationals

Congress Member of Parliament Karti Chidambaram, faced another round of interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday (2 December) in connection with a money laundering case related to the issuance of visas to Chinese nationals in 2011, as reported by Indian Express.

The 52-year-old representative from the Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu had previously been questioned on 23 December of the preceding year, during which his statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Karti appeared once again before the investigating officer at the ED headquarters in central Delhi, in response to the allegations arising from a CBI first-information-report filed under the PMLA.

The case revolves around accusations that Karti and his close associate S Bhaskararaman received kickbacks of Rs 50 lakh from a top executive of Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd., a Vedanta group company setting up a power plant in Punjab.

The CBI's investigation suggests that the power project's execution, handled by a Chinese company, faced delays.

Allegedly, Rs 50 lakh changed hands for the re-issuance of project visas for 263 Chinese workers, according to the CBI FIR.

Karti, who has been subject to raids and questioning by both the CBI and ED in the past, dismissed the ED probe as a "fishing and roving" inquiry.

He maintains that he has already submitted relevant documents to the agency and described the case as an attempt to target his father, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram.

Notably, this marks the third money laundering case against Karti, with ongoing ED investigations into the INX Media and Aircel-Maxis cases.