CBI grills Karti for second time on visas to Chinese nationals

Karti Chidambaram was interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for the consecutive second day on May 27 for his alleged involvement in issuance of visas to Chinese nationals. CBI official are investigating what has come to be known as visa scam. Karti is alleged to have taken bribe in exchange for visas issued to 263 Chinese nationals in 2011 when his father P. Chidambaram was home minister in the UPA government.

The CBI had questioned Karti for more than 8 long hours a day before with regard to the scam. The case pertains to a power project in Punjab which was subcontracted to a Chinese firm. The project, however, ran behind the schedule and the Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation sourced more professionals from China, above than the sanctioned limit by the Ministry of Home Affairs. It has alleged that a bribe of Rs. 50 lakh was paid by a company representative in exchange

for permission granted in July 2011 to re-use the project visas issued by the MHA to the company earlier.

Before reaching the agency’s headquarters here at 9:30 in the morning, Karti shot off an SOS letter to Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, alleging that the ongoing investigation amounted to “breach of privilege” he is entitled to as a member of Parliament. “This issue concerns my rights and privileges as a Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha). Over the course of the past few years, my family and I have become targets of a relentless campaign by the present Government and its Investigating Agencies who are trying to silence our voices of dissent by foisting one fake case after another. Such targeted intimidation of a Member of the House amounts to a breach of privilege,” Karti said in his letter. The Congress MP alleged that the CBI had seized draft notes and questions he intended to ask witnesses summoned to the Committee and his handwritten notes pertaining to the depositions made by witnesses. Alleging that the CBI was interfering with his duties as a Member of Parliament, he urged the Lok Sabha Speaker to take immediate cognizance.

A court had earlier in the day granted Karti protection from CBI arrest till May 30.