P Chidambaram questioned for hours before being sent for 5 days custody
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Court has sent the Former Finance Minister of India and Senior Indian National Congress (INC) leader – Palaniappan Chidambaram, to a 5-day CBI custody today, i.e., Thursday, August 22, 2019, over his involvement in the INX Media case.
He will remain in the CBI custody till August 26, 2019. Chidambaram’s has been slapped with charges of money laundering and corruption in the INX Media case, in tune of Rs. 305 crores.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, said that effective investigation is possible only in custodial interrogation. He also said that Chidambaram is not cooperating in the investigation and his custody is necessary to expose the money laundering details of INX Media case.
Appearing on behalf of Chidambaram, his counsel and Member of Parliament (M.P.), Rajya Sabha – Kapil Sibal argued that CBI cannot expect P. Chidambaram to confess.
Sibal told the court, “CBI cannot say Chidambaram was evasive during the investigation. Not confessing is not non-cooperation. He doesn’t need to say yes to everything.” He even urged that grant of bail was a rule and the issue before the court was of personal liberty. Sibal informed the Court that CBI is not prepared to question Chidambaram. CBI has only asked him 12 questions. Of this, Chidambaram has already answered 6.
Another Member of Parliament (M.P.), Rajya Sabha and a part of Chidambaram’s legal team – Abhishek Manu Singhvi, said that the Foreign Investment Promotion Board’s (FIPB) clearance was given to INX Media by 6 bureaucrats and Chidambaram, the then Finance Minister, was just the approver.
“None of the six are arrested or are culpable of the arrest. Whether they are not in public life or are blue-eyed boys– they are not arrested. But the person who has only approved is arrested,” Singhvi told the court.
For the records, in May 2017, CBI had filed an FIR for alleged discrepancy in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board’s (FIPB) clearance given to the INX group in 2007. At that time, Chidambaram was holding the important portfolio of Finance. The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-IND) under the Finance Ministry had raised queries over Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of over Rs. 305 crores made by 3 Mauritius-based companies in INX Media Pvt. Ltd.
The case was then referred to the Enforcement Directorate (ED). In response, INX Media hired Chess Management Services Pvt. Ltd., a legal compliance management systems service provider. The Promoter Director of the said company is the son of P. Chidambaram – Karti Chidambaram.
It is alleged that Karti used his influence in the Ministry to ensure that financial irregularities are ignored in the INX Media case. Most importantly, Chidambaram has strongly denied the allegations, reiterating that the payments received by the Chess Management Services Pvt. Ltd. were for the consultancy services and not for Karti Chidambaram.
Earlier on Wednesday, i.e., August 21, 2019, the former FM was arrested on from his residence at Jor Bagh area in New Delhi, after the Delhi High Court refused to grant anticipatory bail to Chidambaram. Kapil Sibal – the Member of Parliament (MP), Rajya Sabha and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, also a MP, Rajya Sabha had approached the Supreme Court to take the case of Chidambaram’s interim protection from arrest on urgent basis. But Supreme Court ordered to take up the case on Friday, i.e., August 23, 2019.
Reading a media statement at the INC headquarter before his arrest, Chidambaram, said, “Between now and Friday I shall walk with a clear conscience and my head held high. I shall respect the law, even if it is applied with an unequal hand by investigating agencies.”
Meanwhile, Karti has said that his father’s arrest is nothing but Central Government’s attempt to curb their most vocal critic. Karti has also denied meeting Peter and Indrani Mukerjea except once. He said, “The only time I met her was during the CBI interrogation. I have never met anyone in FIPB, I don’t know the process of FIPB.”
