CBI books Karti Chidambaram in fresh corruption case for 'giving relief' to Johnnie Walker whisky company

NEW DELHI: Fresh trouble mounted for Congress leader Karti Chidambaram as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) booked him in a new case.

Son of former finance minister P Chidambaram was booked in a fresh corruption case on Thursday, officials told news agency PTI. He has been booked for allegedly giving relief to alcoholic beverage company Diageo Scotland over a ban on the duty-free sale of its whisky.

The case pertains to an alleged suspicious payment made to Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt. Ltd, "an entity controlled" by Karti P Chidambaram and his close aide S Bhaskararaman by Diageo Scotland and Sequoia Capitals, the CBI FIR said.

"Enquiry revealed that out of various proposals of FIPB enquired into, it was found that Diageo Scotland and Sequoia Capitals have suspiciously transferred funds to Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt. Ltd., an entity controlled by Sh. Karti P Chidambaram and his close aide S Bhaskararaman," it said.

The investigation revealed that Diageo Scotland, UK was involved in importing duty-free Johnnie Walker whisky, news agency PTI reported.

In April 2005, when the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) held exclusive rights to sell imported duty-free liquor in India, it imposed restrictions on selling Diageo Group's duty-free products.

This action severely impacted Diageo Scotland's operations, as Johnnie Walker whisky sales constituted 70 per cent of their Indian business.
According to the CBI FIR, Diageo Scotland sought assistance from Karti Chidambaram to resolve the ban issue and transferred USD 15,000 to Advantage Strategic Consulting under the pretext of "consultancy fee".