P Chidambaram, former finance minister and a top leader of the opposition Congress party, has been accused formally of corruption by the CBI today and will stand trial in what is known as the Aircel-Maxis case once the charge sheet is cleared by the judge. The CBI named Mr. Chidambaram, 72, in a charge-sheet filed in a Delhi court today, hours ahead of a no-trust vote against Prime Minister Narendra Modi which he is placed to win easily. The Congress is among the opposition parties backing the no-trust vote. Calling the allegations “preposterous”, Mr. Chidambaram said the CBI had been “pressured” to file the chargesheet.
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The CBI in the chargesheet mentioned that two sets of money trails were discovered regarding Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance. The court will take cognizance of the matter on July 31.
Last week, a Delhi court had extended Chidambaram and his son Karti’s protection from arrest till August 7 in connection with the money laundering case.
The senior Congress leader’s role had come under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Aircel-Maxis deal of Rs 3,500 crore and INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore. The matter pertains to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance being given to the firm M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd for investment in Aircel. Chidambaram was finance minister at the time.
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