For the first time, the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) has said on record that Tata Telecom did not benefit
in any way from the massive telecom scam that saw companies getting
licences at throwaway prices in 2008 for mobile networks.
"We've examined the issue in detail. There was no irregularity in the issuance of licences to Tata Telecom," stated the CBI today.
The 2G scam is being investigated by the CBI and is being monitored by a special court in Delhi. A Raja, former Telecom Minister, has been arrested along with the executives of some of India's biggest telecom companies. They allegedly conspired to get out-of-turn allotments for spectrum and licences. Reported to be India's largest scam ever, the 2G swindle has whipped up a political tornado, allowing the government to be targeted for nurturing corruption. It has also pushed into jail Kanimozhi, whose party, the DMK, is a major alliance partner in the UPA government at the Centre. Kanimozhi's father, M Karunanidhi, is the head of the DMK.
A petition filed by a lawyer named Dharmendra Pandey had asked that Ratan Tata be made an accused in the 2G case for benefiting from the scam, along with Niira Radia, who handles the PR for his firm. Ms Radia is a witness for the CBI. Her phone was tapped in 2008 and 2009 in connection with an income tax investigation. Her conversations with Kanimozhi, Raja and others blew the lid off the 2G scam.
However, the CBI makes it clear that it is still studying the Tata group for two other deals that the company entered into during 2008 and 2009 when the telecom scam was playing out. Firstly, it was the Tatas who loaned Rs. 1700 crore that allowed Unitech Wireless to acquire a telecom license from Mr Raja. Unitech- primarily a real estate company till 2008 -has been listed as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the telecom scam and its promoter, Sanjay Chandra, is now in jail on charges of conspiracy and cheating. The loan from the Tatas has been read by some as a sign that Unitech served as a front for the Tata Group, which had already been granted a license to provide mobile services.
Secondly, the Tata Group owned a valuable property in Chennai that was transferred to Mr Karunanidhi's family at bizarrely low rates, according to the CBI. Investigators want to know if this was some sort of kickback for the DMK and Mr Raja in exchange for telecom licences.
"We've examined the issue in detail. There was no irregularity in the issuance of licences to Tata Telecom," stated the CBI today.
The 2G scam is being investigated by the CBI and is being monitored by a special court in Delhi. A Raja, former Telecom Minister, has been arrested along with the executives of some of India's biggest telecom companies. They allegedly conspired to get out-of-turn allotments for spectrum and licences. Reported to be India's largest scam ever, the 2G swindle has whipped up a political tornado, allowing the government to be targeted for nurturing corruption. It has also pushed into jail Kanimozhi, whose party, the DMK, is a major alliance partner in the UPA government at the Centre. Kanimozhi's father, M Karunanidhi, is the head of the DMK.
A petition filed by a lawyer named Dharmendra Pandey had asked that Ratan Tata be made an accused in the 2G case for benefiting from the scam, along with Niira Radia, who handles the PR for his firm. Ms Radia is a witness for the CBI. Her phone was tapped in 2008 and 2009 in connection with an income tax investigation. Her conversations with Kanimozhi, Raja and others blew the lid off the 2G scam.
However, the CBI makes it clear that it is still studying the Tata group for two other deals that the company entered into during 2008 and 2009 when the telecom scam was playing out. Firstly, it was the Tatas who loaned Rs. 1700 crore that allowed Unitech Wireless to acquire a telecom license from Mr Raja. Unitech- primarily a real estate company till 2008 -has been listed as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the telecom scam and its promoter, Sanjay Chandra, is now in jail on charges of conspiracy and cheating. The loan from the Tatas has been read by some as a sign that Unitech served as a front for the Tata Group, which had already been granted a license to provide mobile services.
Secondly, the Tata Group owned a valuable property in Chennai that was transferred to Mr Karunanidhi's family at bizarrely low rates, according to the CBI. Investigators want to know if this was some sort of kickback for the DMK and Mr Raja in exchange for telecom licences.
No comments:
Post a Comment