P Chidambaram grilled by CBI for 4 hours in INX media case

New Delhi: Former finance Minister P Chidambaram was on Wednesday grilled by CBI for close to four hours at its headquarters regarding foreign investment clearances given to INX media during his tenure.

The senior Congress leader later tweeted that the FIR contains no allegations against him:

Appeared before CBI.
FIR contains no allegations against me.

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) June 6, 2018

He further wrote

Questions and Answers were based on the files of FIPB. Hence, there was little to add to the record

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) June 6, 2018

The agency had alleged irregularities in the clearance of foreign investment in INX media, a venture promoted by former media baron Peter Mukerjea and his wife Indrani.

Chidambaram's alleged role came under the scanner of investigating agencies in connection with the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance of Rs 305 crore.

The CBI had registered an FIR on May 15 last year for alleged irregularities in the FIPB clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when Chidambaram was the finance minister during the UPA-1 government.

Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram was also arrested in the case for allegedly receiving funds to the tune of Rs 10 lakh. The other accused in the case include then INX media director Indrani Mukerjea and then INX news director Peter Mukerjea, both in jail for alleged murder of their 24-year old daughter Sheena Bora.

Chidambaram was questioned for the first time yesterday by the Enforcment Directorate. The ED has summoned former finance minister P Chidambaram on June 12 for second round of questioning in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case.

With PTI Inputs