New Delhi, May 17: Karti Chidambaram whose residential and office premises were searched by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been accused of taking illegal gratification of Rs 50 lakh to facilitate visas for some Chinese nationals working on a project in Punjab, sources tell OneIndia.
The source also said that around 260 visas were facilitated by Karti and others for Chinese nationals.
Searches were conducted at nine locations including three in Mumbai, three in Tamil Nadu and one place each in Karnataka, Punjab and Odisha. The search was conducted following the registration of a fresh case by the CBI in connection with an alleged foreign remittances case that took place between 2010 and 2014.
The source also said that he had allegedly facilitated the visas of 250 Chinese nationals for a power project in Punjab between 2010 and 2014. In Delhi, the CBI searched the 80 Lodhi Estate residence of Chidambaram this morning. The staff in the house were questioned following which the officials took some papers with them. It was during the investigation into the INX Media case that the CBI found papers relating to the existing case.
Karti the son of former union minister, P Chidambaram has been facing multiple corruption cases. He has already been charged in the INX Media money laundering case. He had been arrested by the CBI in February 2018 and later released on bail in connection with the INX case.