The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday filed the chargesheet in connection with the Aircel-Maxis case, naming Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram as the prime accused, NDTV reported.
The chargesheet was filed at the Patiala House Court in Delhi and a total nine people have been named as accused. The accountant of the former minister’s son Karti Chidambaram, Bhaskar Raman, is one of them.
The court has fixed November 26 as the date for consideration of the chargesheet, ANI reported.
Chidambaram said he will contest the case in court, PTI reported. “If and when summons are issued by the honourable court, the cases will be contested,” he said.
The case pertains to clearances that the Foreign Investment Promotion Board granted the firm M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd for investment in Aircel in 2006. Chidambaram was the finance minister at the time and Karti Chidambaram allegedly facilitated the payment of bribes in the Aircel-Maxis transaction. The Enforcement Directorate is looking into why Chidambaram approved the investment when only the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs can give the green signal for such deals.
The Central Bureau of Investigation, which is also investigating the Aircel-Maxis case, had filed a chargesheet against 18 people, including Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram, in July. The chargesheet named retired as well as serving government officials. The accused have been charged with criminal conspiracy, seeking illegal gratification, and criminal misconduct.
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