In May last year, the Enforcement Directorate filed a case against Karti Chidambaram son of the former Finance Minister P Chidambaram alleging irregularities in the grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media for receiving a foreign investment of over Rs. 300 crore in 2007 when his father was the union finance minister.
Karti Chidambaram was accused of taking a Rs.10 lakh bribe in the case. Based on information about alleged illegal payments made by INX media, the CBI filed a separate case against Mr Chidambaram and others. The FIR filed by the CBI on May 15 last says that Karti had brokered for the Peter and Indrani Mukherjee couple-owned INX Media Private Limited (INX) for issue of foreign investment permits by his father’s ministry, for which payments were made by INX to Advantage Strategic Consultancy Private Limited (Advantage India), with its subsidiary in Singapore (Advantage Singapore).
According to CBI FIR, “Contrary to the approval of FIPB conveyed to through letter dated 31/05/2007 and conditioned mentioned therein, INX media (P) deliberately in violation of the condition of the approval, made a downstream invested to the extent of 26% in the capital of INX news LTD without the a specific approval of FIPB which included indirect foreign investment by the same foreign investors and generated more than Rs 305 crores FID in INX against the approved foreign inflow of Rs 4.62 core by issuing the shares to the foreign investors at a premium of more than Rs 800 per share.
The Timeline
2017
- May 15: CBI files FIR, alleging irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when Karti’s father P Chidambaram was the Union Finance Minister.
- June 16: The Foreigner Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) and Bureau of Immigration, under Union Home Ministry, issues look out circular (LOC) against Karti.
- Aug 10: Madras HC stays the LOCs issued against Karti and four others holding that they were prima facie “unwarranted”.
- Aug 14: The Supreme Court stays Madras HC order staying Centre’s LOC issued against Karti.
- Aug 18: SC asks Karti to appear before CBI on August 23.
- Sep 11: CBI tells SC it has furnished details in a sealed cover on the probe about “possible transactions” in foreign countries and 25 alleged offshore properties of Karti Chidambaram.
- Sep 22: CBI tells SC that Karti was prevented from travelling abroad as he was allegedly closing several of his foreign bank accounts.
- Oct 9: Karti seeks SC’s nod to visit the United Kingdom to get his daughter admitted at the Cambridge University and expresses willingness to undertake that he would not visit any bank there.
- Oct 9: P Chidambaram tells SC that the BJP-led government has been carrying on a “politically-motivated vendetta” against him and his son.
- Nov 20: SC allows Karti to visit UK for daughter’s admission.
- Dec 8: Karti moves SC challenging the summons issued by the CBI against him in the Aircel-Maxis deal case.
2018
- Jan 31: SC remands back to the Madras HC, the pleas relating to issuance of two LOCs against Karti and others.
- Feb 16: Karti’s CA S Bhaskararaman arrested for allegedly assisting him to manage his “ill-gotten wealth” in India and abroad.
- Feb 28: Karti arrested by CBI at Chennai aiport and brought to Delhi. Delhi court sends him to one-day police custody.
- March 23: Karti gets bail after 23 days in jail
- July 25: The high court grants interim protection from arrest to P Chidambaram.
- Oct 11: The ED attaches assets worth Rs 54 crore of Karti Chidambaram in India, UK and Spain in connection with the INX Media money laundering case, an action termed “bizarre” by him
2019
- July 11: Jailed-media baron Indrani Mukerjea turned approver in the case She accepted the conditions put on her before a judge.
- Aug 1: ED asks Karti to vacate Jor Bagh house in New Delhi, which was earlier attached by the agency.
- Aug 20: Delhi HC rejects bail applications of P Chidambaram.
- August 21: Supreme Court rejects to immediately consider the plea for anticipatory bail
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