PTI, NEW DELHI: Former Union minister P Chidambaram was today questioned in the Aircel-Maxis case for the first time by the Enforcement Directorate, a department which was under him during his tenure in the finance ministry.

The senior Congress leader, who was considered one of the most powerful ministers in the previous UPA government, was questioned by the probe agency for over six hours.

The agency recorded his statement under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) with some specific queries on the circumstances and procedures adopted by the now-defunct FIPB while giving approval to the Aircel-Maxis deal during his tenure.

Chidambaram’s son Karti has already been questioned by the ED twice in this case.

Soon after leaving the ED office, Chidambaram tweeted to say that all the answers he gave to the probe agency were already recorded in government documents.

He also said that there is no FIR, yet a probe had been initiated.

“More than half the time taken up by typing the answers without errors, reading the statement and signing it!, he said in his tweet.

Chidambaram arrived at the agency’s headquarters annexe office here around 10:58 am accompanied by a lawyer, even as a strong contingent of police and CRPF personnel set up a security cordon at the office.

He was allowed by the agency to go out for lunch around 1:30 pm after over two hours of questioning, officials said.

The next round of questioning began about 3:30 pm which ended around 7 pm, they said.

It is expected that the agency may call him again.

The ED had issued a fresh summons to him yesterday to appear before the investigating officer of the case.

Chidambaram, also a former home minister, had last week approached the court of special judge O P Saini seeking relief from arrest by the ED in the case.

The same court today directed the ED not to take any coercive action or arrest him till July 10 in connection with the case.