ED issues notice to Karti Chidambaram
FEMA CASE: NOTICE ALSO SERVED ON CHENNAI FIRM LINKED TO HIM
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a show cause notice to Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, and a firm purportedly linked to him for alleged violations of the FEMA laws to the tune of Rs 45 crore.
The Chennai zonal office of the agency also issued a similar notice in the case to Chennaibased Ms Vasan Health Care Private Limited for alleged forex violation of Rs 2,262 crore.
“The total amount of contravention identified on different counts and found to have been committed by Ms Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited in the sale transaction of shares of Vasan Health Care to overseas investors is around Rs 45 crore.
“A show cause notice has been issued to Ms Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited, its directors and also to Karti P Chidambaram who appears to be the controller and ultimate beneficiary in these transactions,” the ED said in a statement.
The total amount of contravention identified by the ED, under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), by Vasan Healthcare and its overseas investors on different counts in the investments received from overseas investors is Rs 2,262 crore, the central probe agency said.
“A show cause notice has been issued to Ms Vasan Health Care Private Limited, its promoter Director Arun, his wife, Dwarakanathan (the director’s father-in-law) and also to the overseas investors for the alleged contraventions,” the ED said. A show cause notice under FEMA is issued after the investigation concludes and the person or entity found guilty of the contravention after the due adjudication process of the case can be fined up to 300 per cent of the amount contravened.
The ED probe in this case that went on for over two years, pertains to foreign investments received by Vasan Health Care from the “funds of Sequoia and Westbridge, based at Mauritius and also through investment arms of MS GIC, Singapore” and subsequent alleged irregularities in the issuance of shares.