Aircel Maxis Case: Have sanction to prosecute former minister P Chidambaram, CBI tells court

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told a Delhi court on Monday that it has the "requisite sanction" to prosecute former Union minister P Chidambaram in the Aircel Maxis case. According to sources, the premier investigating agency also informed the court that there is fresh evidence to prove that Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram closed bank accounts in foreign countries after a chargesheet was filed in the case in July. He is accused of using his position as the then finance minister in Manmohan Singh’s cabinet to clear foreign investment deals.

The Chidambarams have been granted protection from arrest till December 18. Their protection was extended after the CBI said it needed two weeks to get sanction against five others accused in the case. They also denied allegations of non-cooperation and called them “baseless” and “false”.

Read More | BJP doesn't have patent on Ram Temple: Union Minister Uma Bharti

Last month, the  Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a supplementary chargesheet in the Patiala House Court against the former finance minister and eight others in the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel Maxis money laundering case. The court had called Chidambaram “Accused No 1”. The CBI had named nine accused in the case including Chidambaram, S Bhaskaraman and four Maxis companies.

The CBI chargesheet claimed that two illegal payments of Rs 26 lakh and Rs 87 lakh were paid to Chess Management and Advantage Strategic during the Aircel Maxis deal for the FIPB clearance when P Chidambaram was the finance minister, according to a report in the Economic Times.

Also Read | Congress termed Naxals ‘revolutionary’, questioned surgical strike: PM Modi in Bhilwara

The CBI and the ED have been investigating the case, which involves the foreign investment clearance granted in 2006 for the Aircel Maxis deal. According to the CBI, Mauritius-based Global Communication Services Holdings -- a subsidiary of Maxis -- sought approval for an investment of 800 million dollars in Aircel.