NEW DELHI: The Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday granted interim protection to Congress MP Karti Chidambaram from arrest till May 30, 2022 in Chinese Visa case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recently filed a money laundering case against him following CBI case in the related matter.
The Special Judge MK Nagpal on Thursday granted interim protection to applicant Karti Chidambaram while hearing anticipatory bail moved by him till May 30, 2022 and also issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal and Advocate Arshdeep Singh and Advocate Prateek Chadda have appeared for Karti Chidambaram in the matter. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a money laundering case in alleged Chinese visa scam involving Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, officials said on Wednesday.
The ED had filed case under the criminal Sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, taking cognisance of a recent First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the case, said the officials.
Allegedly Karti received illegal gratification of Rs 50 lakh to illegally facilitate visas for 263 Chinese nationals' to complete a power project in Punjab.
Karti 'misused his influence' in the home ministry in 2011 and 'conspired' with co-accused to devise a "back-door way to defeat the purpose of ceiling" on work permits imposed by the ministry, CBI alleged. Karti's father and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram was home minister in 2011. P Chidambaram has not been named as an accused in the FIR.
Besides Karti, four others have been booked by the CBI. The four co-accused are Karti's chartered accountant S. Bhaskararaman, Vikas Makharia, representative of Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd, a Mansa-based private company, and Bell Tools, Mumbai, have been named. The FIR also mentions "unknown public servants and private individuals" too.
On May 17, CBI arrested S. Bhaskarraman close in the alleged visa scam. Meanwhile, on Tuesday Karti issued a statement and claimed that he is neither directly or indirectly involved in visa case. "I firmly state that I am not associated with this visa issue directly, indirectly, vicariously or even telepathically! The allegations against me by the CBI are ludicrous, to say the least. I categorically deny all of them," said Karti in a statement.
"I am heading back home today, as was planned when I left 2 weeks ago for a work/ family-visit trip to UK & Europe. 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" Statement read.
"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," he concluded.