WEB DESK
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today raided the Chennai residence of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and his son, Karti P. Chidambaram in connection with a case involving INX Media’s Peter and Indrani Mukherjea.
CBI is also conducting searches at locations in Mumbai, Delhi and Gurugram. The raids are being carried out in connection with clearances given to INX Media and criminal misconduct in grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board -FIPB approval.
On 17th April, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had issued a show-cause notice to Karti Chidambaram and a firm purportedly linked to him for alleged violations of the FEMA laws to the tune of 45 crore rupees.
The agency also issued a similar notice, after over two years of investigations, to another firm M/s Vasan Health Care Private Limited, which is based in Chennai, for alleged forex violations of 2,262 crore rupees.
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Briefing media in New Delhi, Joint Director CBI, V Vinayak said these materials are relevant and are being scrutinized.
Mr. Vinayak said the CBI has set process of investigation in motion and people whose involvement comes forth, will be investigated.
He said the agency had registered case yesterday and searches were conducted at 14 locations in Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Gurugram.
Reacting to the raids, Mr Chidambaram said, there were no allegations against him in giving Foreign Investment Promotion Board permissions during his tenure as the Union Finance Minister under the UPA government.
He said, the Central Government is targeting his son and his friends using the CBI and other agencies.
BJP has rejected former Union Minister P Chidambaram’s charge that he is being targeted for his critical views about the government.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has justified CBI and IT raids against former Union Minister P Chidambaram and his son as well as RJD Chief Lalu Prasad.
Replying to a media query in New Delhi, Mr. Jaitley rejected any political motivation behind the action. He said people in high places buying assets via shell firms, is not a small matter. The Minister said the agencies do not act unless there is substantial basis and reason to suspect tax evasion or crime.
Talking to reporters in New Delhi, party leader and Union Minister Piyush Goyal said the issue is why beneficiaries of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board gave money to firms owned by Mr. Chidambaram’s son.
Mr. Goyal also said, in its three years of rule , the BJP has given an honest, scam-free government, a decisive leader and pro-poor thrust on governance. The Minister claimed that for the first time ever, India is the fastest growing large economy in the world.
Another Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government is not targeting anyone but at the same time it will not shield wrongdoers.