Former finance minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court, denying Enforcement Directorate (ED) allegations that he had bank accounts or properties abroad, purchased with money allegedly laundered in the INX-Media case.
“The petitioner submits on oath before this Hon’ble Court and even at risk of facing perjury, if found to be not stating the complete truth, that he has no account or any property abroad much less 17 accounts and 10 properties, as alleged by the Respondent ED”, the Congress leader said in the rejoinder affidavit. “Each and every asset owned by him has been disclosed in statutory filings and he has no asset other than the assets disclosed therein,” read the document.
The rejoinder was filed in response to the ED affidavit placed on record on Monday. ED stated it had found “17 benami foreign bank accounts” used for laundering money and 10 properties purchased with the money. Chidambaram and his co-conspirators “had accounts/valuable properties in Argentina, Austria, British Virgin Islands, France, Greece, Malaysia, Monaco, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Spain and Sri Lanka,” the affidavit said.
Chidambaram, currently in CBI custody in connection with corruption allegations pertaining to the same case, termed the allegations false. The allegations have been made to prejudice the proceedings, he said.
{{/usCountry}}Chidambaram, currently in CBI custody in connection with corruption allegations pertaining to the same case, termed the allegations false. The allegations have been made to prejudice the proceedings, he said.
{{/usCountry}}He even rebutted allegations of tampering with evidence and influencing the witnesses. “This is a clear afterthought and if this was so, the Respondent must place on record the details thereof since this is not part of any case diary,” he stated in his affidavit.
It is also false to allege that he has anything to do with the shareholding pattern in any company and made any changes as to directors of any company, as claimed by the ED, he said.
On ED’s statement that people with close links to him had created a web of shell companies, the afidavit said: “This averment suggests that the Respondent has already arrived at this conclusion that a web of shell companies both in India and in other countries was created by the Petitioner along with others.”
“The fact that they have never put such substantial evidence of proximity to the Petitioner at any stage shows that this is merely an averment made to prejudice the Petitioner and the proceedings”, it said. The agency has never ever questioned him about the two individuals, who it alleges had acted as his agents, Chidambaram said. “The allegation that these alleged shell companies are incorporated by persons who can be shown to be close to and connected to the Petitioner and his co-conspirator is completely false and can be no basis for seeking custodial interrogation”, read the affidavit.
The former minister said the menace of black money and its laundering must certainly be dealt with at all levels. But this does not mean that agency must target individuals and violate due procedure of law and then make an averment that it is performing a public duty.
Chidambaram said that as a Parliamentarian he had publicly stated that he has no asset other than what is disclosed by him in his returns both to the income tax authorities and in his filings before the Election Commission.