Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti has once again defied Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s summons in the Aircel-Maxis probe.
Karti was asked to appear at ED’s headquarters on Monday morning. But his advocate handed over a letter to ED officials seeking “clarifications on the need of personal appearance.”
This is the second time Karti has evaded his questioning by ED. Earlier, when ED summoned him to appear on July 5, he sought more time claiming he would be travelling abroad.
In the summons issued by ED’s Investigating Officer Rajeshwar Singh under Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMlA), Karti was asked to bring all his bank accounts — personal and business — from 2005 onward.
Karti was also asked to explain the flow of 2,00,000 dollars into his company from the Malaysia-based telecom company Maxis after his father and then Finance Minister P Chidambaram gave Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to the Maxis to acquire Aircel.
Karti’s firm Chess Management Services Private limited had accepted the amount from three companies belong to Maxis group in Malaysia.
During the raid on Karti’s companies in December 2014, the investigative officers found that the money came to Chess Management from Maxis’ companies Astro All Asia Network, Bumi Armada Berhad and Maxis Mobile Sdn Bhd.
The CBI and the ED have already chargesheeted Astro and Maxis Mobile. The flow of money into Karti from these companies during the scam period could also spell trouble for Chidambaram.
Recently, ED also summoned two senior officials of FIPB, who processed the files about Maixs acquisition of Aircel. As the FIPB Chairman, Chidambaram could have approve foreign investments only up to Rs 600 crore. Investments above Rs 600 crore have to get approval from Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). Chidambaram did not take up the file to the CCEA, though Aircel-Maxis deal was more than Rs 3,600 crore. later, the CAG’s preliminary audit found that the transaction was around Rs 4,900 crore.