The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a money laundering case against Karti Chidambaram, son of former finance minister P Chidambaram, and others, taking cognizance of a recent CBI FIR against them.
Officials said the central probe agency registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), the ED's equivalent of a police FIR, against the accused – including Karti, INX media and its directors, Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, and others.
The ECIR has been registered under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
ED To Probe Alleged ‘Illegal Payments’
They said that the ED will probe the alleged ‘proceeds of crime’ generated in this case and may also attach assets of the various accused.
It is the ED which had provided information about the alleged illegal payments made by INX media, based on which the CBI had filed its FIR.
The CBI, on 16 May, had searched the homes and offices of Karti across four cities for allegedly receiving money from the Mukerjeas to scuttle a tax probe.
The Chidambarams had denied all charges made against them.
It is alleged that Karti received money from INX Media to manipulate a tax probe against it for violating the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) conditions to receive investment from Mauritius.
The CBI had filed an FIR against Karti and the Mukerjeas on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, receiving illegal gratification, influencing public servants, and criminal misconduct.
The CBI had also recovered vouchers of Rs 10 lakh which were allegedly paid for the services.
These vouchers were issued in favour of Advantage Strategic Consulting (P) Limited, a firm "indirectly" owned by Karti, the CBI had alleged.
‘Wild Allegations’
After the CBI searches on 16 May, Chidambaram had issued a strong statement in response to the raids saying 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 had said.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)