Chinese Visa Scam case: Court grants interim bail to 3 accused persons

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram has not moved the bail application at the trial court.

His anticipatory bail is pending before the High Court where the ED had given an oral assurance that no coercive action till the matter is pending.

He appeared through video conferencing. Other accused persons appeared physically.

Special CBI Judge Kaveri Baweja granted interim bail to each accused person on furnishing a bail bond of Rs one lakh.

Meanwhile, the court granted time to ED to file a reply on the regular bail applications of other accused persons.

Three accused have been granted interim bail and they furnished bail bond.

The next date of hearing is May 2.

The accused persons were summoned by the court after taking cognizance of the charge sheet.

The Rouse Avenue Court on March 19 issued a summons to Congress leader Karti Chidambaram and others 7 accused in a money laundering case connected with a Chinese Visa case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently filed a prosecution complaint naming Karti Chidambaram, S Bhaskararaman and several others including several firms' names as accused.

In the case, Karti Chidambaram had earlier moved an Anticipatory Bail also in Delhi High Court where ASG SV Raju appeared for the Enforcement Directorate and orally assured the court that no coercive action till the matter is pending.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal had argued there is no material against the accused.

"No money laundering case is made out as there are no allegations that any money was given to Karti Chidambaram. If there is no money, it cannot be laundered. Still, they registered the ECIR. The accused has joined the investigation and cooperating in the same," he said.

Senior advocate Sibal also argued that the alleged transaction is of 2011 and they registered the case in 2022.

"There is apprehension of arrest as they registered the ECIR within ten days of the registration of the FIR by CBI. I am named in that ECIR, they can arrest me anytime without even calling me or giving me notice," he argued.

"In the CBI case, I have been given protection of 72 hours' notice before arrest. So that I can approach the court," Sibal had argued.

Earlier he had argued that the value of an alleged transaction is of Rs. 50 lakh, which is less than one crore, in view of this fact he should be granted bail.

On the other hand, ASG S V Raju submitted that the bail application is premature as there is no material in this case.

"We will investigate the case. Still, they have apprehension of arrest, why do they have so? If no case is made out against them then why do they have apprehension?" he argued.

He further argued that this application is premature as even no summons was issued, only an ECIR registered. Therefore, the apprehension of arrest is not genuine.

CBI judge M K Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Court on June 3, 2022 dismissed all three applications moved by Karti Chidambaram, S. Bhaskararaman and Vikas Makharia. (ANI)