Karti Chidambaram appears before ED in money laundering case

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram appeared before the Enforcement Directorate on Saturday in a money laundering case linked to the issuance of visa to some Chinese nationals in 2011, official sources said.

The ED case pertains to the allegations of Rs 50 lakh being paid as kickbacks to Karti and his close associate S Bhaskararaman by a top executive of the Vedanta group company Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd. (TSPL), which was setting up a power plant in Punjab, according to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR.

The ED case stems from the CBI complaint.

The agency will record the statement of the 52-year-old MP from Sivaganga Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Karti earlier said that the ED probe was a “fishing and roving” enquiry and that he has earlier submitted documents to the agency. He sought more time to collect documents as he skipped appearance on December 12 and December 16.