Chinese visa 'scam': Delhi Court reserves order on ED's charge sheet against Karti Chidambaram

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday reserved its order on whether to take cognisance of a charge sheet filed by the ED against Congress MP Karti Chidambaram and others and summon them in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Chinese visa scam.

The judge posted the matter for March 16 after hearing the arguments by the counsel appearing for the Enforcement Directorate.

"Further arguments on the point of summoning have been heard. At request, list the matter now on March 16, 2024, at 2 pm for consideration/clarifications, if any, on the point of summoning/ cognisance,” Special Judge M K Nagpal said.

The charge sheet was filed against Chidambaram, his then Chartered Accountant S Bhaskararaman and six others, including companies.

The accused also include Padam Dugar, Vikas Makharia, Mansoor Siddiqi, Dugar Housing Ltd, Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt Ltd and Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd.

The ED has registered the money laundering case against the accused in the alleged scam pertaining to the issuance of a visa to 263 Chinese nationals in 2011 when his father P Chidambaram was the Union home minister.

The ED said the actual magnitude or volume of the processed or laundered amount of money in the case was yet to be established during the investigation and the bribe amount of Rs 50 lakh in the CBl case cannot be taken or considered as the basis of the present case.

The agency registered its case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) taking note of a first information report by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the same case.