ED names P Chidambaram, 8 others as accused in Aircel Maxis case

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday filed charge sheet against former Union minister P Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case.

The charge sheet, filed at Delhi's Patiala House court, lists a total of 9 accused including Chidambaram, S Bhaskaraman and four Maxis companies. 

The court has fixed November 26 for consideration of the charge sheet.

The nine accused named by the agency in the case are: Chidambaram, S. Bhaskaraman (chartered accountant of Karti), V Srinivasan (former CEO of Aircel), Augustus Ralph Marshall (associated with Maxis), Astro All Asia Networks Plc Malaysia, Aircel Televentures Ltd, Maxis Mobile Services Sdn Bhd, Bumi Armada Berhad, Bumi Armada Navigation Sdn Bhd.

They are accused of money laundering of Rs 1.16 crore in lieu of illegal FIFB approval by the former minister in March 2006, given to the foreign investor Global Communication and Services Holdings Limited, Mauritius in violation of the various rules and regulations governing the FDI policy in India. 

 Earlier this month, on October 8, the Delhi court had extended interim protection for P Chidambaram as well as his son Karti till November 1.

The agency is probing how P Chidambaram, who was the Union finance minister in 2006, granted a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to a foreign firm, when only the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) was empowered to do it.

It had also alleged that Chidambaram had granted an FIPB approval in March 2006 to Mauritius-based Global Communication Services Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of Maxis.

The senior Congress leader's role has come under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore.

However, both P Chidambaram and his son, Karti, have denied the allegations levelled against them by the CBI and the ED.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)