CBI books on illegal gratification of Chinese nationals for facilitating visa for Karti Chidambaram
Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram and his son, Karti P. Chidambaram, MP, have been on the sidelines of the Central Bureau of Investigation for Special Teams since Tuesday.
A CBI official confirmed searches were held in connection with a fresh case against Mr. Karti Chidambaram. Sources in the agency said the case related to the alleged facilitation of visas for some foreign nationals a few years ago.
Lok Sabha in Sivaganga for Congress leader and Member of Parliament, Karti Chidambaram. File | Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
A CBI official confirmed that the central agency has registered a case. Karti Chidambaram and others allege that visas were arranged for about 250 Chinese nationals at a power project in Punjab. Searches at 10 locations, including New Delhi, three in Chennai, three in Mumbai, and one each in Karnataka, Punjab, and Odisha.
“I have lost count, how many times has it been? Must be a record,” Mr. Karti is specifying without tweeting.
The Lok Sabha member from Sivaganga constituency, Tamil Nadu, is already facing allegations of financial irregularities, including the INX media case.
The CBI operation comes at a time when Mr. Chidambaram’s tenure comes to an end in the Rajya Sabha and he hopes to be re-nominated from the upper house of Tamil Nadu where the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has allotted one seat to its alliance partner, the Congress.
