Congress MP Karti Chidambaram has approached the Delhi High Court, requesting a postponement in the framing of charges in ongoing money laundering trials linked to alleged financial misconduct in the Chinese visa and Aircel Maxis scams. These cases, which are under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), have sparked significant legal and political controversy.
On Monday, Karti Chidambaram’s legal team argued that the charges, once framed, are irreversible, advocating for a delay until the conclusion of the CBI cases which detail the primary allegations. The hearing, presided over by Justice Ravinder Dudeja, was deferred to April 9 following submissions from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that highlighted a Supreme Court directive stating the CBI and ED trials could proceed independently, although the final judgment in the money laundering case would depend on the CBI’s findings.
The ED has charged Karti Chidambaram and others with financial irregularities related to the issuance of visas to 263 Chinese nationals in 2011 during the tenure of his father, P Chidambaram, as the Union Home Minister. Additionally, he is implicated in alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board’s (FIPB) approval of the Aircel-Maxis deal in 2006, when his father was the Union Finance Minister.
Karti Chidambaram’s petitions challenge recent trial court decisions that declined his request to defer the framing of charges. His legal team contends that if an individual is acquitted or the scheduled offense is dismissed, then proceedings for the associated money laundering charges should not continue. They argue that without a firm ruling on the predicate offenses, there is no substantive basis for pursuing money laundering charges.
The plea emphasizes the need for a valid and ongoing prosecution of the alleged predicate offenses before any money laundering allegations can be substantiated, highlighting the integral connection between the initial charges and subsequent allegations.
