ED files charge sheet against Karti Chidambaram in Aircel-Maxis case

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today filed a charge sheet in a Delhi court against Karti Chidambaram, the son of former Union Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram, in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case. The ED has also mentioned the name of former union minister Chidambaram at various places in the charge sheet. However, he has not been arrayed as an accused in the probe report submitted by the agency before Additional Sessions Judge Ruby Alka Gupta.    

Apart from Karti Chidambaram, the agency has also named Advantage Strategic Consultancies Private Limited and its directors Padma Bhaskararamana and Ravi Viswanathan, and Chess Management Services Pvt. Ltd. and its director Annamalai Palaniappa in the charge sheet under section 4 (punishment for money laundering) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The court has now posted the matter to July 4 for consideration of the charge sheet. 

Special Public Prosecutors Nitesh Rana and N K Matta, appearing for the ED, told the court that a total of Rs 1.16 crore allegedly belonging to Karti Chidambaram, has been attached by the agency. According to sources, the agency in its charge sheet, filed through advocate A R Aditya, mentioned that the former Union minister's son has been linked with various individuals and companies involved in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval given to the Aircel-Maxis deal. It also alleged that Karti Chidambaram was in the process of alienating the property involved in the money laundering in order to frustrate the proceedings under PMLA. 

The sources said that the charge sheet contained considerable factual details of the case, details of the investigation conducted so far, along with relevant material. The agency told the court that it might file a supplementary charge sheet in the case. The court has already granted interim protection from arrest till July 10 to Karti Chidambaram in two cases filed by the CBI and the ED in 2011 and 2012, respectively in the Aircel-Maxis matter arising out of 2G spectrum cases. The matter pertains to grant of FIPB clearance to M/s Global Communication Holding Services Ltd for investment in Aircel.