Articles by "Aircel-Maxis Case"
New Delhi, Oct 8: A Delhi Court Monday extended till November 1 the interim protection from arrest granted to former Union Minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis case filed by the CBI and the ED.
Special CBI Judge O P Saini put up the matter for November 1 after the counsel appearing for agencies sought an adjournment in the matter.
Advocates appearing for the CBI and the ED, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Nitesh Rana, told the court that the agencies required time to file a detailed reply and argue on the application filed through Chidambaram's lawyers P K Dubey and Arshdeep Singh.
Chidambaram and his son were named in the chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the case on July 19.
The agency filed a supplementary charge sheet before the special judge, who will consider it on next date.
The CBI is probing how Chidambaram, who was the Union finance minister in 2006, granted a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to a foreign firm, when only the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) was empowered to do it.
The senior Congress leader's role has come under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore.
In its charge sheet filed earlier in the case against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran and others, the agency had alleged that Chidambaram had granted an FIPB approval in March, 2006 to Mauritius-based Global Communication Services Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of Maxis.
The Maran brothers and the other accused named in the CBI chargesheet were discharged by the special court, which had said the agency had failed to produce any material against them to proceed with the trial.
The Enforcement Directorate is also probing a separate money-laundering case in the Aircel-Maxis matter, in which Chidambaram and Karti have been questioned by the agency.
Both Chidambaram and Karti have denied the allegations levelled against them by the CBI and the ED. (PTI)
New Delhi, Sep 20: The Supreme Court Thursday extended by three months the deadline given to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to complete the probe in the Aircel-Maxis deal case.
A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said the probe should be completed in three months.
Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED, said the agency needs some two-three months to complete the probe as it needs to confront some accused with several e-mails.
The apex court had in March given the ED a six-month deadline to complete the probe in the case.
The ED is probing a money-laundering case in the Aircel-Maxis matter arising out of 2G spectrum cases. (PTI)
New Delhi, Aug 31: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today questioned former finance minister P Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case for the fourth time, officials said.
Chidambaram arrived at the agency's office here early in the day, they said, adding that his statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
This is the fourth time the senior Congress leader is being questioned in the probe. He was last grilled for about six hours on August 24.
Some specific queries on the circumstances and procedures adopted by the now-defunct Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) are being put to the former Union minister during these sessions, it is learnt.
Chidambaram's son Karti has been questioned twice by the ED in this case.
While the CBI has filed a charge sheet in this case involving the politician in July, the ED is expected to file its own prosecution complaint within the next fortnight.
After similar questioning by the ED in this case in June, Chidambaram had said what he told the agency was already recorded in government documents. He also said a probe was initiated even though there is no FIR.
"More than half the time taken up by typing the answers without errors, reading the statement and signing it!," he had said in his tweet.
The Aircel-Maxis cases pertains to grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance to the firm M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd in 2006 for investment in Aircel.
The Supreme Court had on March 12 directed investigating agencies -- the CBI and the ED -- to complete their probe into the 2G spectrum allocation cases, including the Aircel Maxis alleged money laundering case, in six months.
The agency had said FIPB approval in the Aircel-Maxis FDI case was granted in March 2006 by Chidambaram even though he was competent to accord approval on project proposals only up to Rs 600 crore and beyond that it required the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
The ED is investigating "the circumstances of the FIPB approval granted (in 2006) by the then finance minister".
"In the instant case, the approval for FDI of USD 800 million (over Rs 3,500 crore) was sought. Hence, the CCEA was competent to grant the approval.
"However, the approval was not obtained from the CCEA," the ED had alleged.
The agency said its probe that the case of the said FDI was "wrongly projected as an investment of Rs 180 crore so that it need not be sent to the CCEA to avoid a detailed scrutiny".
The ED is probing the Aircel-Maxis deal under the PMLA after taking cognisance of a 2011 CBI FIR in the case.
The senior Chidambaram had earlier described the ED action in this case as a "crazy mixture of falsehoods and conjectures" and said the charge sheet filed by probe agencies was rejected by the court.
However, the agencies maintained that the FIR in the case had not been quashed.
In September last year, the ED had attached assets worth Rs 1.16 crore of Karti and a firm allegedly linked to him in connection with this case. (PTI)
New Delhi, Jul 23: Former Union minister P Chidambaram today moved a Delhi court seeking anticipatory bail in the Aircel-Maxis case.
Special CBI Judge O P Saini will hear the matter at 2 pm.
Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram were named in a charge sheet filed by the CBI in the case on July 19.
The agency had filed its supplementary charge sheet before the special judge, who had fixed it for consideration on July 31.
The CBI is probing as to how Chidambaram, who was the finance minister in 2006, granted the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to a foreign firm when only the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) was empowered to do it.
The senior Congress leader's role has come under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Aircel-Maxis deal of Rs 3,500 crore and the INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore.
In its charge sheet filed earlier in the case against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran and others, the agency had alleged that Chidambaram had granted FIPB approval in March 2006 to Mauritius-based Global Communication Services Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of Maxis.
The Maran brothers and other accused, who were listed in the CBI charge sheet earlier, were discharged by the special court which had said that the agency had failed to produce any material against them to proceed with the trial.
The Enforcement Directorate is also probing a separate money laundering case in the Aircel-Maxis case in which Chidambaram and Karti have been questioned by the agency.
Both Chidambaram and Karti have denied the allegations levelled against them by the CBI and ED. (PTI)
New Delhi, Jul 10: A Delhi court today extended the protection from arrest granted to former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case till August 7.
Chidambaram had on May 30 moved the court seeking protection from arrest in the case, saying all evidence in the matter appears to be documentary in nature which is already in the possession of the incumbent government and nothing was to be recovered from him.
The court had earlier granted interim protection from arrest till today to Karti in two cases filed by the CBI and ED in 2011 and 2012, respectively in the Aircel-Maxis matter arising out of 2G spectrum cases.
The matter pertains to grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to firm M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd for investment in Aircel. (PTI)
New Delhi, Jun 27 : The Supreme Court today said issues related to the 2G spectrum case were "highly sensitive" and no officer investigating the matter should be "under any cloud" on a plea against an ED officer probing the Aircel-Maxis case.
A vacation bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra and S K Kaul said that allegations levelled against senior Enforcement Directorate (ED) official Rajeshwar Singh, who is probing the Aircel-Maxis deal case, were serious and required to be looked into.
Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee, appearing for the Centre, told the court that the government was willing to investigate the allegations that Singh amassed disproportionate assets and handed over a communication in a sealed cover to the bench.
The bench, after perusing the documents placed before it in a sealed cover, said sensitive issues were involved in the matter.
"As a matter of fact, when there are allegations, whether right or wrong against you (Singh) it has to be looked into," the bench said, adding "the things which have come before us are startling."
"You are simply an officer. You can't be given a blanket clean chit. Everybody is accountable. You must be accountable for any action. We need to ensure that you are accountable. We don't want to damage you or comment against you. There are very serious allegations against you," the bench told the officer.
The apex court said that it would pass an appropriate order in the matter at 2 pm today itself.
Rajneesh Kapur, who claims to be an investigative journalist, has filed a petition in the apex court seeking investigation against Singh for allegedly amassing assets which are disproportionate to his known source of income.
Singh has also filed a separate contempt plea against Kapur and has claimed that attempts have been made to scuttle or delay the ongoing probe in the Aircel Maxis case.
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has also moved the top court seeking its permission to implead himself as a party in the plea filed by Kapur.
The apex court had on March 12 set a deadline of six months for the CBI and the ED to complete the investigation into the alleged irregularities in FIPB approval given in the Aircel-Maxis deal case in which former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti have been questioned by probe agencies. PTI
New Delhi, Jun 25 : The Supreme Court today agreed to hear tomorrow a fresh plea of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking to implead himself as a party in a petition filed against an Enforcement Directorate officer probing the Aircel-Maxis deal case.
A vacation bench comprising justices Arun Kumar Misra and S K Kaul also agreed to hear the plea of ED officer Rajeshwar Singh that contempt proceedings be initiated as attempts have been made to thwart the ongoing investigation in the Aircel-Maxis case.
Recently, a fresh petition was filed by one Rajneesh Kapur alleging that Singh, the investigating officer in the Aircel-Maxis case, has amassed disproportionate assets beyond the known sources of his income.
Swamy, who had earlier moved the apex court for expeditious investigation in the Aircel-Maxis case, has sought court's direction for making himself as a party in the fresh plea filed by Kapur against the ED official.
Earlier, on June 20, Justice Indu Malhotra recused herself from hearing in the matter without assigning any reason.
The apex court had on March 12 set a deadline of six months for the CBI and the ED to complete the investigation into the alleged irregularities in FIPB approval given in the Aircel-Maxis deal case in which former finance minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti have been questioned by probe agencies.PTI
New Delhi, May 30 : Former Union minister P Chidambaram today moved a Delhi court seeking protection from arrest in the Aircel Maxis money laundering case.
The senior Congress leader moved his plea for anticipatory bail before Special Judge O P Saini, who directed Chidambaram to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on June 5 as already summoned by the agency.
The court, which issued notice to the ED seeking its reply by June 5, also directed the agency not to take any coercive action against Chidambaram in the matter till then.
Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Chidambaram, urged the court to grant him the relief considering the former minister has clean antecedents and deep roots in society.
In his plea, Chidambaram said all the evidence in the matter appears to be documentary in nature which is already in the possession of the incumbent government and nothing was to be recovered from him.
However, special public proseutor Nitesh Rana, appearing for the ED, opposed Chidambaram's plea saying he did not join the investigation today, for which the ED had already issued summons.
The court has already granted interim protection from arrest till July 10 to the former minister's son Karti Chidambaram in two cases filed by the CBI and ED in 2011 and 2012, respectively in the Aircel-Maxis matter arising out of 2G spectrum cases.
The relief was granted to Karti after the ED sought time to argue on his application seeking anticipatory bail.
The matter pertains to grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to firm M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd for investment in Aircel.PTI
