INX-Media case: P Chidambaram grilled by ED officials

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday questioned senior Congress lea-der P. Chidambaram for nearly five hours in connection with the INX-Media money laundering case. This is the first time that the 73-year-old former Union finance and home minister is being grilled by the ED in the case. He had deposed before the CBI in connection with the case on June 6 this year.

Sources said Mr Chidambaram arrived at the agency’s office in Jamnagar House near India Gate at around 11:15 am along with his lawyer. He was asked to depose before the investigating officer of the case on Wednesday to record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Mr Chidambaram is understood to have been asked about the statements given earlier by his son Karti Chidambaram and few other accused in the case.

The Delhi High Court had last month extended till January 15 the interim protection from arrest, granted to Mr Chidambaram on his plea seeking anticipatory bail, in the INX-Media case lodged by ED and CBI. The court had also directed him to cooperate with the investigation. The ED has already questioned Mr Karti Chidambaram in the INX-Media case and has attached his assets, estimated at Rs 54 crore, in India and abroad.

The ED had registered a case on the basis of a CBI FIR and had alleged that irregularities took place in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX-Media. Overseas funds to the tune of Rs305 crore exchanged hands in 2007 when Mr Chidambaram was the union finance minister. It had registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), the ED’s equivalent of a police FIR, against the accused named in the CBI complaint, including Mr Karti Chidambaram, INX-Media and its directors Peter and Indrani Mukerjea. Mr Karti Chidambaram was also arrested on February 28 by the CBI for allegedly taking money to facilitate the FIPB clearance to INX-Media in 2007. He was later granted bail.