NEW DELHI, July 19:
The CBI today filed a charge sheet against Congress leader P Chidambaram and his son Karti for alleged irregularities and criminal conspiracy in the Aircel-Maxis deal case.
The supplementary charge sheet was filed before special CBI judge O P Saini who fixed it for consideration on July 31. Besides Chidambaram and Karti, the CBI also named 10 individuals, including public servants, and six companies as accused in the case.
The charge sheet was filed for the alleged offences of criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), public servant taking illegal gratification, punishment for abetting this offence and public servant committing criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act, sources said.
If convicted, the offences entail a maximum punishment of seven years.
The agency has alleged that when foreign investment in Aircel by Malaysian telecom major Maxis was cleared by the Finance Ministry in March 13, 2006, a payment of Rs 26 lakh was made by Aircel to Chennai-based Advantage Strategic Consulting, officials said.
It is alleged that Advantage Strategic Consulting was indirectly controlled by Karti and had raised an invoice on March 29, 2006 against which Aircel made a payment on April 1, 2006.
The CBI has alleged that Chess Management Services Holding Ltd, a company in which Karti is promoter and director, also received Rs 87 lakh in several installments from an associate company of Maxis, they said.
While the payment of Rs 26 lakh to Advantage Strategic Consulting was shown as fee for market research, Rs 87 lakh to Chess Management was shown as fee for a software, the CBI alleged in the charge sheet, officials said.
During investigation, the agency asked Chess Management officials and Karti to produce the software which was allegedly provided to Maxis for a fee but they could not produce any such software, they said alleging that it was a bribe for the clearance of foreign investment proposal which was laced with several irregularities.
Reacting to the developments, Chidambaram said he will “vigorously” contest the case in the court.
“CBI has been pressured to file a charge sheet to support a preposterous allegation against me and officers with a sterling reputation,” he tweeted.
Chidambaram said the case is now before a court and he shall “make no more public comment”,” he said. (PTI)
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