Congress leader P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram have been summoned by a court in Delhi on December 20 in connection with the Aircel-Maxis case, PTI reported on Saturday.
Special Judge MK Nagpal took note of the chargsheets filed in the case by the Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation and said that there was enough evidence to summon them.
The case is related to alleged irregularities in the approval given to a firm called Global Communication Holding Services to invest in telecom company Aircel in 2006, when P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister.
The Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate, who are conducting an inquiry into the case, alleged that P Chidambaram received kickbacks for the approval, PTI reported. Karti Chidambaram, a Congress MP, had allegedly facilitated the payment of bribes.
The agencies said that P Chidambaram was not authorised to approve the investment. Only the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs can give the go-ahead for such deals.
P Chidambaram and his son are also facing investigation for irregularities in another deal. In 2007, INX Media, owned at that time by Indrani and Peter Mukerjea, had got foreign direct investment clearance, also during P Chidambaram’s tenure as finance minister.
The CBI alleged that Karti Chidambaram used his father’s influence to interfere in the clearance process. He allegedly received Rs 10 lakh in kickbacks for the approval. The agency filed a first information report in the case in 2016.
In 2017, the Enforcement Directorate registered a money laundering case against Chidambaram, his son and the directors of INX Media.
P Chidambaram was arrested by the CBI on August 21, 2019, and taken to Tihar jail on September 5. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court in October.
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