ED issues show-cause notice to Karti Chidambaram, others for forex violations

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a show-cause notice to Karti Chidambaram and a firm purportedly linked to him for alleged violations of the FEMA laws to the tune of Rs 45 crore.

The agency also issued a similar notice, after over two years of investigations, to another firm M/s Vasan Health Care Private Limited, which is based in Chennai, for alleged forex violations of Rs 2,262 crore.

"The total amount of contravention identified on different counts and found to have been committed by M/s Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited in the sale transaction of shares of Vasan (Chennai firm) to overseas investors is around Rs 45 crore.

"Show-cause notice has been issued to M/s 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 its notice.

Karti is the son of senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram.

The total amount of contravention identified by the ED, under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), by M/s Vasan Healthcare Private Limited and its overseas investors on different counts in the investments received from overseas investors is around Rs 2,100 crore and and additional Rs 162 crore, thereby totalling to Rs 2,262 crore.