P Chidambaram being produced in court on Tuesday. (PTI)Already in Delhi’s Tihar Jail following his arrest by the CBI in the INX Media alleged corruption case, Congress leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram was arrested again Wednesday, this time by the Enforcement Directorate which is probing charges of money laundering in the same case.
He will be produced before the special CBI court on Rouse Avenue at 3 pm Thursday. The ED will seek his custody for 14 days for “further interrogation”.
A day earlier, the court had allowed three ED officers to question Chidambaram inside Tihar Jail. Sources said the ED officers questioned him for two hours Wednesday morning and, after recording his statement, took him into custody. He has been booked under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
“The accused will be confronted with fresh evidence, especially those related to specific inputs from overseas banks accounts and properties. The accused also has to be confronted with details related to shell companies found during investigations,” ED sources said.
The agency, sources said, has recorded statements of 12 prosecution witnesses in connection with the case, and will confront Chidambaram with these.
Arrested by the CBI on August 21, Chidambaram has been in judicial custody since September 5. He has denied ED claims of bank accounts or properties abroad.