A Delhi court on Wednesday granted regular bail to former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram in connection to the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case, reported PTI.
The court granted the relief in the case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate after accepting bail bonds worth Rs 1 lakh from both the Congress leaders. The court had earlier granted anticipatory bail in the matter to Chidambaram and his son.
A regular bail is granted to a person who has already been arrested in a matter, while an accused person is given anticipatory bail as a relief from possible arrest in the future.
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. Karti Chidambaram, a Congress MP, has been accused of facilitating the payment of bribes.
The agencies said that P Chidambaram was not authorised to approve the investment. Only the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs could 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 its 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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