Shashi Tharoor said the man used to be on his staff.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor responded Thursday morning to reports that his aide was caught at the Delhi airport allegedly smuggling 500 grams of gold. He said the law must take its course.
Tharoor said the man used to work for him part-time, providing "airport facilitation assistance."
The Congress MP added that the 72-year-old was hired on compassionate grounds because he needed frequent dialysis. However, he clarified that he doesn't "condone any alleged wrongdoing."
"I was shocked to hear about an incident involving a former member of my staff who has been providing part-time airport facilitation assistance. He is a 72-year-old retiree who needs frequent dialysis and was employed part-time for compassionate reasons. I do not condone any alleged wrongdoing and fully support the authorities in their efforts to investigate the matter. The law must take its course," he wrote on X.
In 2020, Kerala faced a gold scam when Customs seized 30 kg of gold from a diplomatic bag at Thiruvananthapuram Airport. M Sivasankar, the principal secretary to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, was suspended and removed from his post due to alleged links with one of the accused.
Chandrasekhar is the Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate from Thiruvananthapuram, which is Tharoor's parliamentary constituency.
Tharoor has run for the Lok Sabha elections from this Kerala seat three times.
