New Delhi : Former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram was on Wednesday questioned for over four hours by the CBI in connection with the INX Media corruption case.
After the questioning by a special CBI Economic Offences Wing team, the senior Congress leader reiterated that the FIR contains no allegations against him.
The Central Bureau of Investigation said Chidambaram appeared at its headquarters here around 11 a.m. and left around 4.50 p.m.
Chidambaram was questioned till 1.30 p.m., after which he was allowed to step out for lunch. The questioning resumed at 3.30 p.m. and continued till around 4.45 p.m.
After leaving the CBI headquarters, Chidambaram tweeted: “Appeared before the CBI. The FIR contains no allegations against me.
“Questions and answers were based on the files of FIPB. Hence, there was little to add to the record,” he said.
According to the agency officials, the former Minister was quizzed about his alleged role in the grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to INX Media in 2007.
The INX Media company was promoted by former media baron Peter Mukerjea and his wife Indrani Mukerjea, now in jail in connection with the murder of their daughter Sheena Bora.
A CBI official said the agency will analyse the Congress leader’s statement and, if required, he will be again asked to join the investigation.
HC stays I-T notice for re-assessment
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday stayed the Income Tax Department’s notices issued to former finance minister P Chidambaram seeking reopening of assessment of his I-T returns for 2011-12 as it suspected that his income chargeable to tax had escaped assessment.
Hearing a petition by Chidambaram, Justice T S Sivagnanam granted the interim stay on the proceedings pursuant to the notices dated March 27, 2018 and May 23, 2018 issued by the Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax, Chennai, for re-opening the assessment.
Directing the I-T authorities to file their counter within six weeks, the Judge posted the matter to July 16 for further hearing. The judge had quashed similar I-T notices issued to Chidambaram pertaining to the assessment years 2009-10 and 2010-11 in November last year and January this year.