Former finance minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram on Wednesday failed to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at its headquarters in New Delhi, where he was summoned in connection with the Aircel-Maxis deal.
ED is now considering taking Karti into custody for his refusal to appear before it, according to a report by Pradeep Thakur in The Times of India.
The agency is probing the 2G spectrum scam amid allegations that Malaysia-based Maxis was forced into selling its stake in Aircel and some of the firms in question had been served by Karti as director.
Karti’s links with Advantage Strategic Consulting, which had deals with Aircel just before the latter changed hands after receiving a major investment from Maxis, are being probed.
The Aircel-Maxis deal is being probed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of the larger probe into the 2G scam.
In the 2G scam case, the ED has already filed a charge sheet against former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi and also attached their properties worth Rs 742 crore.