The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached assets worth ₹1.16 crore of former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram’s son Karti and a company as part of the money-laundering probe into the Aircel-Maxis deal case.
Responding to the action, Mr. Chidambaram on Monday said the allegations contained in the press note released by the agency were a “crazy mixture of falsehoods and conjectures.” The press note, he said, was intended to intimidate him and silence his voice.
“I will not be intimidated. As and when the attachment order is served, suitable action will be taken in accordance with law.”
“It [the press note] cleverly skirts the issue of jurisdiction of the ED when the only charge sheet filed in the case [Aircel-Maxis] has been quashed by the special judge,” he said in a statement.
The ED said it had not issued any press note and the details of the attachment were tweeted through its Twitter handle. It said Mr. Karti was not part of the charge sheet that was quashed by the special judge and the CBI’s and the ED’s FIRs in the Aircel-Maxis deal case were still valid.
As for the FIPB clearance for Maxis investments in Aircel, the former Finance Minister said FIPB officials, examined by the CBI, affirmed that the FIPB, consisting of the Secretaries to the Government of India, had correctly approved and recommended the case and placed the minutes before the then Finance Minister (the competent authority) for approval.
“Approval was granted in the normal course,” Mr. Chidambaram said.
The attached assets includes ₹26 lakh in the form of fixed deposits of Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited. The rest belongs to Mr. Karti in savings account and fixed deposits.
The agency has alleged that the attachment has been made as it has grounds to believe that the assets under scrutiny are being disposed of.