Amid high drama, former finance minister P. Chidambaram, who is facing threat of arrest in the INX Media case, turned up at the AICC headquarters in Delhi after being on the run for over 24 hours. Addressing a press conference, the senior Congress leader denied that he was hiding from the law.
“I was accused of running away from justice. On the contrary, I was in pursuit of justice,” he said.
Chidambaram put up a strong defence of himself and his family members, saying none of them has been accused of any offense by the probe agencies in the INX Media case.
He said he was working with his lawyers through the last night, preparing his papers or his bail application.
“If I am asked to choose between life and liberty, I will unhesitatingly choose liberty,” he said, adding that he would respect the law “even if applied with an unequal hand by the probe agencies”.
The CBI and the ED had issued a look out notice against the veteran leader after his whereabouts remained unknown on Wednesday. The central agencies have been on the look out for Chidambaram ever since the Delhi High Court on Tuesday rejected his plea seeking advance bail in the case.
The agencies have got a free hand to arrest Chidambaram after he failed to get a legal reprieve on Wednesday as the Supreme Court refused an urgent hearing on his plea for anticipatory bail. The top court has listed the case to be heard on Friday.
CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017 alleging irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance granted to the INX Media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007 during Chidambaram's tenure as finance minister.
Thereafter, the ED in 2018 lodged the money laundering case in this regard.
Chidambaram's role had come under the scanner of various investigating agencies in the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore.
It was during his tenure as finance minister in the UPA-I government that clearances from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) were given to the two ventures.
