Karti Chidambaram, the 52-year-old Congress legislator from Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu, has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to appear for questioning this week in connection with a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This case is linked to alleged irregularities in visa issuance to 263 Chinese nationals in 2011.
Karti Chidambaram has not yet appeared before the ED and has labeled the case as “baseless.” He cited his ongoing commitments in the Parliament session as the reason for not being able to depose before the agency.
The investigation dates back to 2022 and involves accusations of kickbacks amounting to Rs 50 lakh allegedly paid to Karti and his close associate S Bhaskararaman by a high-ranking executive of Vedanta group company Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd. (TSPL), engaged in setting up a power plant in Punjab, as stated in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR.
Karti Chidambaram condemned the case as “baseless” and stated that his legal team would handle it. “There are three categories of cases foisted on me: bogus, more bogus, and most bogus. This falls under the third category. My lawyers will handle this,” he commented.
The CBI had conducted raids at the Chidambaram family’s premises last year and arrested Bhaskararaman, while Karti was questioned. The allegations revolve around the reissue of project visas for Chinese workers involved in the power project, wherein the money exchange is being scrutinized.
Karti has previously characterized this investigation as harassment against him and a method to target his father, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, through him. He firmly stated that he had not facilitated any visa processes for Chinese nationals.
This case marks the third money laundering investigation involving Karti, with ongoing probes into the INX Media and Aircel-Maxis cases by the ED.