P Chidambaram: CBI books Karti for accepting ‘Rs 50 lakh bribe’ to facilitate visas of Chinese nationals, raids 10 premises; Chidambaram explains ‘time’ | India News – Times of India

New Delhi: central bureau (CBI) Senior. A new case of illegal bribe has been registered against Congress leader P ChidambaramThe son of Karti for facilitating the visas of 250 Chinese nationals after allegedly receiving a “bribe” of Rs 50 lakh.
Following this, the CBI on Tuesday conducted coordinated raids on at least 10 premises at several places, including the official residence of Rajya Sabha MP Chidambaram and his son, Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Karti in Delhi and Chennai.
A CBI team visited the official residence of Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram at Delhi’s Lodhi Estate and searched for nearly six hours, officials said.
Soon Karti took to Twitter saying, “I have lost count, how many times has this happened?”

His office also confirmed that the CBI is raiding Karti’s residences and offices.
Later, P Chidambaram also tweeted that a CBI team searched his house in Chennai and his official residence in Delhi, during which the search team found nothing. Chidambaram said, “The team showed me an FIR in which my name is not there as an accused… I can tell that the timing of the search is interesting.”

In the new case, which is a part of an ongoing investigation, the CBI has alleged that Karti paid Rs 50 lakh to facilitate visas of 250 Chinese nationals during the UPA regime for the Talwandi Sabo power project in Punjab in 2010-2014. Took a bribe. When Chidambaram was the Union Home Minister, officials said.
According to sources, the home ministry had reportedly approved the use of illegal visas for Chinese nationals in 2011, the same month they applied for it.
The Talwandi Sabo Power Plant, which was in the process of setting up a 1980 MW unit in Mansa, Punjab, was outsourced to a Chinese company, Shandong Electric Power Construction Corp (SEPCO). The project was reportedly running behind schedule, so Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd was trying to bring more Chinese professionals to the site to avoid punitive action for delays.
This required a project visa in excess of the limit imposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Therefore, the company reportedly contacted Karti through his close associates, who “provided a backdoor way to defeat the purpose of visa ceiling by allowing reuse of 263 project visas allotted to Chinese company officials.” Ready”, said a source.
It is alleged that crores were paid to Karti Chidambaram through fake invoices by an industrial knife maker citing consultancy services and visa related work.
The CBI came to know about the matter during its ongoing investigation related to the INX Media case, in which Karti is already investigating to obtain Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval for INX Media, he said. .
Officials said that after probing the transaction, the CBI had detected a payment of Rs 50 lakh, which was allegedly an illegal gratification.
According to CBI officials, searches were conducted at three places in Chennai, three in Mumbai and one each in Karnataka, Punjab and Odisha.
Earlier, Karti had faced CBI and ED probe for his involvement in alleged corruption and money laundering cases, which included helping INX Media get clearance to receive foreign funds of Rs 305 crore.
In 2017, the CBI raided the residences of former finance minister Chidambaram and son Karti in connection with criminal misconduct with the approval of the FIPB. at least 14 places in ChidambaramThen the CBI had searched his home town Chennai. And in 2018 he was arrested by CBI in corruption case. Thereafter he was released on bail.
Party defends Chidambaram
Meanwhile, the Congress strongly defended Chidambaram, saying he is a nationalist and patriot, “whose commitment to the country is unquestionable”.
Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala alleged that the CBI is implicating the former home and finance minister. “Reflects the least fall in political discourse by the CBI for leveling source-based absurd allegations against a former home minister and finance minister.”

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the BJP was trying to weaken the Congress by raiding its members.
Kharge said, “Chidambaram is a good lawyer and economist. This is the effect of his speeches, debates. Vocal people in Congress are being targeted. They want to bring autocracy in the state.”
(with inputs from agencies)
watch CBI raids properties of P Chidambaram in Delhi