The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday carried out fresh searches against people allegedly linked to Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, in connection with the INX Media money laundering case, officials said.
The searches were being conducted on three premises in Chennai under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the officials said.
Mr. Karti was questioned for over 10 hours on Thursday in the case in Delhi by the ED.
The ED carried out searches in the case earlier too. In May last, it registered money laundering case against Karti Chidambaram and others. It registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), equivalent of a police FIR, against those who were also named in a CBI complaint, including Mr. Karti Chidambaram, INX Media and its directors -- Peter and Indrani Mukerjea.
The ECIR was lodged under the provisions of the PMLA.
The ED is probing the alleged “proceeds of crime” generated in the case.
It was the ED which had provided information about the alleged illegal payments made by INX Media, based on which the CBI had filed an FIR.
Searches by CBI
The CBI had also carried out searches at the houses and offices of Mr. Karti Chidambaram across four cities for allegedly receiving money from the media firm owned by the Mukerjeas to scuttle a tax probe.
The Chidambarams, however, have denied all the charges made against them.
The CBI filed the FIR against Mr. Karti Chidambaram and the Mukerjeas on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, receiving illegal gratification, influencing public servants and criminal misconduct.
It has alleged that Mr. Karti Chidamabaram received money from INX Media for using his influence to manipulate a tax probe against it in a case of violation of Foreign Investment Promotion Board conditions to receive investment from Mauritius.
