New Delhi: Congress MP Karti Chidambaram faced another round of questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday in connection with a money laundering case related to the issuance of visas to Chinese nationals in 2011. The 52-year-old legislator from the Sivaganga Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu had previously been questioned on December 23, with the ED recording his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The case, filed under PMLA, originated from a CBI FIR.

The investigation centers around allegations of a Rs 50 lakh kickback paid to Karti and his close associate S Bhaskararaman by a top executive of Vedanta group company Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd. (TSPL). The kickback was allegedly linked to the re-issuance of project visas for 263 Chinese workers involved in a power project in Punjab, being executed by a Chinese company and running behind schedule, according to the CBI FIR. The CBI had conducted raids on Chidambaram family premises last year and arrested Bhaskararaman, while Karti was questioned.

Karti has dismissed the ED probe as a "fishing and roving" enquiry, maintaining that he had previously submitted documents to the agency. He characterized the case as "most bogus" and asserted that he never facilitated the visa process for a single Chinese national, let alone 250, suggesting the case was an attempt to target his father, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram. This marks the third money laundering case against Karti, with the INX Media and Aircel-Maxis cases already under ED investigation for several years.

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