Corrupt Congress Leader Chidambaram Absconds to Evade Arrest

Corrupt Congress Leader Chidambaram Absconds to Evade Arrest

UPDATE: August 21. 12:34 pm

As the Supreme Court is expected to pronounce its verdict today on the bail application of Congress leader P. Chidambaram who is facing arrest in the corruption and money laundering cases, reports suggest that he has been untraceable after 6.45 pm on Tuesday.

Chidambaram’s lawyers have moved the Supreme Court, seeking interim relief against Tuesday’s order of the Delhi High Court canceling his anticipatory bail plea.

Meanwhile, Twitter followers suggest that Chidambaram is such a criminal that he would have even changed his appearance to dodge the police and law-enforcement agencies. They are sharing Chidambaram’s face in different appearances so that he could be identified and arrested.

Report dated August 20 is given below.

Court Rejects Chidambaram’s Bail Plea. Arrest Expected in Corruption Case

Congress Leader P. Chidambaram Faces Arrest in Corruption and Money Laundering Cases

The Supreme Court of India today rejected the anticipatory bail petition of a former India minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram in corruption and money laundering cases related to the INX Media scandal.

Chidambaram – who is perceived to be one of the most corrupt politicians in Congress – had moved the court for an urgent hearing hours after the Delhi High Court had dismissed his bail application.

Senior advocates and Chidambaram’s colleagues in the Congress party Kapil Sibal, Salman Khurshid, and Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued his case in the Supreme Court. As Chidambaram has not yet been arrested, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi‘s bench will decide his fate on Wednesday. There is a likelihood that Chidambaram will be arrested on Wednesday.

Denying protection from arrest to Chidambaram, Justice Sunil Gaur said categorically that Chidambaram’s status as Member of Parliament and member of legal profession won’t affect the decision in the case.

It is alleged that Chidambaram has not been fully cooperating with the investigating agencies in the INX Media case in which his son, Karti Chidambaram, has allegedly received kickbacks in exchange for illegally allowing the TV media company to receive foreign funds amounting to Rs. 305 crore in 2007.

The High Court order stated that prima facie, the “petitioner appears to be the kingpin of the entire scam” and has not cooperated with the investigation. “Magnitude and enormity of material produced dis-entitle him from any pre-arrest bail,” the court order said.

The court order added that economic offence has to be dealt with iron hands. “Investigating agencies’ hand cannot be tied up in such a massive economic offence.”

Justice Sunil Gaur had earlier reserved the decision on Chidambaram’s plea on January 25. During the arguments, both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had opposed Chidambaram’s plea on the ground that his custodial interrogation was required as he was evasive during questioning.

During the hearing, the ED contended that the companies in which the corruption money was transferred are directly or indirectly controlled by Chidambaram’s son, Karti, and they have a reason to believe that the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval was granted to INX Media on his son’s intervention.

Reports suggest that various anti-corruption agencies were investigating Chidambaram’s role in the Rs. 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case. It was during his tenure as finance minister in the Congress government that clearances from the FIPB were given to the two companies.

First, the CBI had registered an FIR in the INX Media case on May 15, 2017 alleging irregularities in the FIPB clearance. Later, in 2018, the ED had lodged the money laundering case.

Chidambaram’s petition says while ED has not served any summons on him, he is apprehending arrest by the CBI. The petition also argued that the FIR has not named Chidamabaram as an accused.

It was also contended that at the stage of bail, the court need not look into the merits of the case and it only needed to satisfy itself on three conditions – absence of flight risk, no risk of evidence tampering, and accused being available for further investigation.

Last year, ED had conducted raids at the Delhi and Chennai residences of Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis case.