ED Files Chargesheet Against Congress’ Karti Chidambaram In Chinese Visa Firm Money Laundering Case

The case against Congress leader Karti Chidambaram has been filed by ED in a money laundering case linked to alleged issuance of visas to some Chinese nationals in 2011, PTI reported.

The report said the prosecution complaint was filed on January 25 by ED before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court which is yet to take cognisance of it.

It also said besides Karti Chidambaram, the son of senior Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram, the ED has named his close associate S Bhaskararaman and some others in the chargesheet.

The court has listed the matter for hearing on March 16, the report said.

Karti Chidambaram, 52, is a Lok Sabha MP from Sivaganga seat in Tamil Nadu and ED has recorded his statement in the case a number of times.

Karti Chidambaram earlier has said the ED probe in this case was a "fishing and roving" enquiry and that he has submitted all documents to the agency. He had called the case "most bogus", asserting he was "certain that he never facilitated even a single Chinese national in their visa process, let alone 250." He had said this case was an attempt to target his father P Chidambaram through him.

The money laundering case of the ED stems from a CBI FIR.

The probe pertains to allegations of Rs 50 lakh being paid as kickbacks to Karti Chidambaram and S Bhaskararaman by a top executive of Vedanta group company Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL), which was setting up a power plant in Punjab, according to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR.

According to the CBI, the work for setting up the power project was being executed by a Chinese company and was running behind schedule.