Tamil Nadu:The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a fresh case of corruption against Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on charges of assisting Diageo Scotland, the alcoholic beverages major, in removing the ban imposed on the duty-free sale of Johnnie Walker whisky. It is the newest addition to an ever-growing list of legal woes for Karti, who is the son of former finance minister P. ChidambaramDoubtful payment and consultancy chargeThe FIR filed by the CBI had said that Diageo Scotland and Sequoia Capitals made suspicious payments to Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt. Ltd., which it claimed was being run by Karti and his close aide S. Bhaskararaman. The CBI said the company paid $15,000 to the company on the pretext of a consultancy fee, as there was no such consultancy work. During this investigation by the agency, it was found that such payments formed part of the efforts made by Karti Chidambaram to help lift the 2005 ban imposed on the sales of duty-free whiskies of Diageo in IndiaCases against KartiIn April 2005, the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) banned the sale of Diageos products in India on a duty-free basis. The company was severely hit because it earned around 70% of its Indian market through sales of Johnnie Walker whisky. According to the CBI, Diageo approached Karti Chidambaram to have the ban removed, so suspicious payments were made to his consulting firm.Karti Chidambaram is now added to the list of ongoing legal troubles with a new case, having been arrested in 2018 by the CBI in the INX media case, granted bail in March 2018, yet still facing several corruption-related investigations, which further complicates his political as well as personal future.
