While it is good to know that the bribe giver in the INX Media case is being taken into custody, the bribe receiver (Karti) still roams free! Why not arrest him too?

With the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) expected to arrest the bribe giver Indrani Mukherjea on Monday, the INX Media bribe case is tightening the noose around the necks of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and his law evading son Karti. CBI and ED have concrete bank records that show that Karti’s firms had accepted around Rs3.5 crores from INX Media promoters and the already jailed murder case accused Indrani and husband Peter Mukherjea.

When the bribe giver is being taken into custody, what prevents the ED and CBI from not arresting Karti, the bribe receiver[1]?

On Friday, the second of February, the agencies have approached the Courts to issue production warrants (a procedure before recording an arrest) to take Indrani, lodged in Mumbai jail to Delhi. Sensing danger, Karti the bribe receiver who was supposed to appear before the Enforcement Directorate on February 2nd for interrogation had skipped. He submitted a letter to the ED with a frivolous claim that as he had challenged the summons in Supreme Court, and that the agency should wait for the outcome!

When the bribe giver is being taken into custody, what prevents the ED and CBI from not arresting Karti, the bribe receiver[1]? And more than that, the main culprit is the father Chidambaram, who was the Finance Minister during the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) violations leading up to the Rs.3.5 crores bribe landing in son’s companies.

INX Media bribe case is an open and shut case. This case was exposed after the ED and Income Tax raid at Karti’s companies in connection with the Aircel-Maxis scam. In 2007, the FIPB under Chidambaram gave approval to INX Media to accept Rs.5 crores as foreign investment. But the cunning Indrani and Peter brought Rs.306 crores ($48 million) as foreign investment and were caught by the Income Tax Department (ITD) the following year. When the ITD issued notice, they approached Finance Minister Chidambaram’s son Karti to save them from the case. After accepting Rs.3.5 crores as bribe, the FIPB dubiously and illegally gave post-facto clearance to INX Media to accept Rs.306 crores as foreign investment from tax havens to nullify the Income Tax proceedings.

With such concrete proof of bribe and illegalities, CBI and ED were obviously blocked by Chidambaram friends in the current dispensation to charge sheet the corrupt father and son duo[2]. The raids were conducted and a First Information Report (FIR) was registered in May 2017[3]. CBI issued a Lookout Circular to prevent Karti from fleeing the country. After Supreme Court’s reprimand, he appeared before the CBI[4]. Recently Karti was interrogated by ED for more than 11 hours and asked to appear again on February 2. But Karti had the audacity to ignore the ED summons. How dare he? Obviously someone in the Government and some pliable officers were trying to save Chidambaram and son[5].

There should not any such delays further. CBI and ED and Income Tax should act against corrupt Chidambaram and family members in a time-bound manner.

Note:

1. The conversion rate used in this article is 1 USD = 63.85 Rupees.

References:

[1] Mr. Jaitley, you must order ED Chief to arrest Karti… Jan 10, 2018, PGurus.com

[2] Mr. Modi, you have a problem – Sep 20, 2017, PGurus.com

[3] At last the law catches up with Chidambaram and son – May 16, 2017, PGurus.com

[4] SC ends Karti Chidambaram’s monkey tricks, asks him to appear before CBI – Aug 31, 2017, PGurus.com

[5] Now Ten cases against Chidambaram family… – Dec 11, 2017, PGurus.com