(FEMA) violations of Rs 45 crore

accused the ED of making wild allegations

(With inputs from Agencies)

CBI raids Chidambaram and son Karti's Chennai residences

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted raids on Tuesday at the residence of former finance minister P Chidambaram in connection with criminal misconduct in grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval.The agency also raided the home of Chidambaram's son Karti. A total of at least 14 locations in Chidambaram's home city of Chennai were searched by the CBI.Hitting out at the government for the raids, the Congress leader said it was trying to silence his voice by cracking down on his family."The government, using the CBI and other agencies, is targeting my son and his friends. The government's aim is to silence my voice and stop me from writing, as it has tried to do in the cases of leaders of Opposition parties, journalists, columnists, NGOs and civil society organizations," Chidambaram said, adding that he'd continue to speak and write.He asserted that he was in the clear with the law as there were no allegations against him or any of the other public officials who granted FIPB approval."Every case was processed according to law and approval was granted or refused in accordance with the recommendations of the FIBP consisting of five Secretaries to the government of India," Chidambaram claimed.Last month, a showcause notice had been issued to Karti Chidambaram and a firm purportedly linked to him for alleged Foreign Exchange Management Act. He is also being investigated on a money laundering charge in the Aircel-Maxis case."A show cause notice has been issued to M/s Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited, its directors and also to Karti P Chidambaram who appears to be the controller and ultimate beneficiary in these transactions," the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had said in a statement.The firm Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited has come under the ED's lens over money laundering charges in the Aircel-Maxis deal.A similar notice had also been issued in the case to Chennai-based M/s Vasan Health Care Private Limited for alleged forex violation of Rs 2,262 crore.In response to the show cause notice, Chidamabaramagainst his son Karti. He added that the two companies have, in the past, explained their transactions and repeatedly clarified through their statements that Karti was "never a shareholder or a director" of either of the companies.The ED had carried out searches in the premises of Advantage Strategic Consultants Private Limited and others and issued summons to their directors under Sec 37 of FEMA in August last year.