Congress MP Karti Chidambaram appears before ED in 2011 Chinese visa issuance case

THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK

New Delhi, Jan 2: In a money laundering case connected to the 2011 visa issuance to certain Chinese people, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram appeared before the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday for a new round of interrogation, official sources stated.

On December 23, of last year, the 52-year-old legislator from Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency was questioned in this case, and the central agency recorded his statement in accordance with the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act).

At the ED headquarters in central Delhi, he again gave a deposition to the case’s investigating officer, officials stated.

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The money laundering case, initiated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), originated from an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

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What is the case?

According to the CBI FIR, the investigation concerns allegations that a top executive of the Vedanta group company Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd. (TSPL), which was establishing a power plant in Punjab, paid Karti and his close associate S Bhaskararaman kickbacks totalling Rs 50 lakh.

As per the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the construction of the power project, assigned to a Chinese company, was in progress and experiencing delays.

As per the CBI FIR, a TSPL executive reportedly delivered Rs 50 lakh for the re-issuance of project visas for 263 Chinese workers.

During a raid on the Chidamabaram family’s premises last year, the CBI detained Bhaskararaman while questioning Karti.