The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday informed a court in Delhi that the central government has sanctioned the prosecution of former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis case, PTI reported.
The court extended till December 18 the relief from arrest granted to the former minister and his son Karti Chidambaram after the investigating agency said it requires two more weeks to get the sanction to prosecute the other accused in the case.
The case pertains to clearances that the Foreign Investment Promotion Board granted the firm 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, which is also investigating a money laundering angle in the case, is inquiring why Chidambaram approved the investment when only the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs can give the green signal for such deals.
The investigating agencies have been pushing for Chidambaram’s custodial interrogation, citing that it is necessary as he has been evasive and non-cooperative with investigators.
On Saturday, P Chidambaram had termed the CBI’s accusations of misconduct against him as “false and baseless”. He had also claimed that due procedure had been followed in the granting of the clearances.
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