Karti firms got Rs 1.16-cr bribe, ED tells court in chargesheet

New Delhi, June 13 

Former Union minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti controlled two firms which allegedly received Rs 1.16 crore as bribe in the Aircel-Maxis money-laundering case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today said in its chargesheet filed in a Delhi court.

Though the name of P Chidambaram, who was also quizzed recently by the CBI and the ED in the INX media and the Aircel-Maxis cases, respectively, was mentioned in the chargesheet, the Congress veteran has not been arrayed as an accused in the probe report which would now be considered by the court on July 4.

The ED filed the chargesheet before Additional Sessions Judge Ruby Alka Gupta for consideration and subsequent issuance of summons to the accused, including Karti. The probe report said the payments of Rs 26 lakh to Advantage Strategic Consultancies Private Limited (ASCPL) and Rs 90 lakh to Chess Management Services Pvt Limited (CMSPL) were made as alleged bribe by parent company of Aircel Ltd, namely Aircel Televentures Ltd, and Maxis and its associate Malaysian companies, respectively.

Referring to the chargesheet, special public prosecutors Nitesh Rana and NK Matta said Karti was controlling ASCPL and CMSPL, the alleged beneficiaries of bribe amount of Rs 1.16 crore, and Karti was trying to project this as untainted money.

The probe agency also made clear that it may file supplementary chargesheets in the case which apparently keeps open the chances of arraying more persons as accused. Apart from Karti, the agency has also named ASCPL and its directors Padma Bhaskararamana and Ravi Viswanathan, and CMSPL and its director Annamalai Palaniappa in the chargesheet under Section 4 (punishment for money laundering) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

“Investigation carried out under the PMLA so far as revealed that Karti P Chidambaram is linked with individuals and companies involved in financial transaction and companies holding such companies as per diagram... “Investigation has revealed that ASCPL and CMSPL are controlled and owned by Karti Chidambaram and his close associate S Bhaskararaman. Investigation has further revealed that ASCPL received money from ATVL, parent company of Aircel Ltd, in a close proximity to receipt to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board,” the chargesheet, filed through advocate AR Aditya, said.

The ED had registered the case under the sections of PMLA on February 7, 2012, on basis of an FIR registered by the CBI. The agency said Rs 1.16 crore allegedly belonging to Karti has already been attached by it so far. — PTI