INX Media Case: CBI questions Indrani Mukerjea in prison
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating alleged corruption in foreign funds which INX Media received years ago, questioned Indrani Mukerjea in Mumbai's Byculla jail on Tuesday. She is currently in jail for allegedly murdering her daughter Sheena Bora. Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti are also being probed for their involvement in the case. Here's more.
A brief history about the case
The INX Media case pertains to illicit foreign funds to the tune of Rs. 305 crore which the company got when Chidambaram was the Finance Minister. The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) had green-lit funds for only Rs. 4.62 crore, but the company received way above that. This allegedly happened after Indrani and her husband Peter "struck a deal" with Karti.
Why does CBI want to meet Indrani?
On Monday, a CBI officer sought permission from a special court. As part of the probe, Letters of Rogatory (LRs) were sent to other countries to look into links in transactions made by the accused, the officer told Special CBI Judge JC Jagdale. He added financial authority from one of the countries has sought clarification before providing information, hence, meeting Indrani is "essential".
CBI was allowed to meet Indrani for three hours
After hearing CBI's side, Justice Jagdale allowed the top investigating agency to meet Indrani in jail. Byculla jail superintendent was directed to facilitate the meeting between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm. Earlier, CBI had brought Karti to the facility to confront Indrani.
Interestingly, Indrani was happy with Chidambaram's arrest
To recall, Indrani, who had turned approver in the case in July, had welcomed the arrest of Chidambaram and added that she wanted Karti's bail to be canceled too. After being picked up from his Delhi residence in a dramatic fashion, Chidambaram was sent to CBI custody. On September 5, he was sent to judicial custody in Tihar jail till September 19.
