'I would like to see how far a foolish govt will go in harassing my son': P Chidambaram on ED raid

Barely 24 hours after the CBI raided the office and residence of the Principal Secretary to the Delhi CM, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on raided the office of Karti Chidambaram, son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, for the second time this month. [caption id=“attachment_2547990” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Karti Chidambaram. Image courtesy: @KartiPC/Twitter[/caption] According to CNN-IBN, the ED southern zone confiscated a laptop after the raid. “False allegations” Karti Chidambaram held a press conference soon after the ED raid and clarified that neither he nor his family members were shareholders of the firms linked to the case based on which the raids were conducted. “I was informed that they are investigating three firms, two of which belong to my friends,” Karti said. “Neither I nor any member of my family is a shareholder or director of any of the said firms,” he added. He also said that he and his family members had no economic interest in the said firms. “When false allegations were made, nothing related to the said firms were found in my office. There was and is no basis for them to have raided my office,” Karti said in the press conference. The ED action Wednesday drew strong criticism from P Chidambaram who has accused the government of “malicious onslaught” against his family after the earlier raid. “Foolish Govt harassing my son” “As can be expected, nothing was found in the fishing and roving enquiry. I would like to see how far a foolish government will go in harassing him,” he said. “I still believe that the departments I left behind have many officers who will act according to law and their conscience.” ED officials said they searched a room they had locked in the office premises of Karti as part of their 1 December operation. “Some documents have been seized,” they said. Karti said he had no doubt that the two firms owned by his friends will “answer any questions put to them and clear any allegation made against them.” “Nothing relating to the said firm was found in my office. Nothing relating to the said firms were taken from my office. As far as I am concerned I maintain that there was, and is, no basis for them to have visited my office or to make any enquiries in my office,” Karti said. He also tweeted out a copy of his statement on the raid.

The ED version The ED clarified that today’s action was part of its December 1 operation. “Shri Mohanan Rajesh, Additional Director, Advantage Strategic Consulting, told the search team that some of the documents relating to the company were lying in the premises of Chess Global Advisory Services Pvt Ltd, Chennai, in which Karti Chidambaram is one of the directors,” the ED said. “Accordingly, search was conducted in the said premises. Evidence related to Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Ltd. was found at Chess Global Advertising Services Private Ltd. Chennai. However, one of the rooms in the premises was found locked and the team was intimated that the key of the room was with Karti Chidambaram, who had gone abroad. The room was therefore sealed, and on return of Karti Chidambaram, the search process was resumed in his presence,” said the statement. What was earlier raid about? Sources have told The Indian Express that the first search earlier this month had connection with an alleged money laundering, tax avasion and forex violations in the Aircel Maxis deal. In the Aircel-Maxis case, ED had questioned former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanithi in December last year after the agency had probed financial transactions of their Sun Network group companies. Jaitley versus PC Union finance minister Arun Jaitley as leader of opposition in May 2012 had accused P Chidambaram that a firm owned by his family member had allegedly made payments to Aircel. This deal came up just before the telecom company had received major investment from Malaysian firm Maxis and the ownership changed. “Malicious onslaught” “If the government wishes to target me, they should do so directly, not harass friends of my son who carry on their own businesses and have nothing to do with politics…My family and I are quite prepared to face the malicious onslaught launched by the government,” he said in a statement shortly after reports of the IT and ED searches. “We have made it clear, repeatedly, that no member of my family has any equity or economic interest in any of the firms that are being targeted.” He added that the companies are professionally managed and can provide answers to suitable authorities. “I condemn the attempt to link them to my son and harass them on that ground,” he said. Chidambaram alleged that the agenda of the government is being implemented by an officer of the Enforcement Directorate who has a pending dispute with the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. “Orders in this case were apparently passed during the term of my predecessor. He met me and wanted me to intervene in his favour. I declined and I told him that I cannot reverse orders that were issued during the term of my predecessor…The change of government has given him an opportunity to misuse his powers to harass my son and his friends,” the former Finance Minister said. CBI in Delhi, ED in Chennai On Tuesday, the office of Rajendra Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, had been raided by CBI in a corruption case, triggering a fresh face-off between the AAP and the Centre and a vicious political slugfest in which the AAP chief had lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kejriwal had claimed his office had been raided, which was denied by the CBI as well as Union Finance Minister in Rajya Sabha where the opposition created an uproar. CM Kejriwal claimed he was, in fact, the target and that Kumar was just an excuse. The CBI had seized files containing “cabinet decisions” during its day-long raid, the Delhi government alleged on Wednesday with Kejriwal claiming that a file relating to DDCA was scrutinised, drawing a rebuttal by the probe agency and the Centre. (With inputs from PTI)