 "CBI might close Radia cases")
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is likely to tell the Supreme Court (SC) it is closing all 14 inquiries registered in connection with former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia’s taped conversation.
This includes the inquiry registered against Reliance Industries and former director general of hydrocarbons, V K Sibal, for alleged favours shown by him to Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and the quid pro quo received by him. The same case has been registered by Delhi government’s anti-corruption branch on former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s orders.
A senior official said CBI, after four months of probe, had not found any criminality in the matter. Earlier, too, CBI had said the taped conversations were mostly “big talk” and involved a lot of “bragging.” The agency had registered 14 preliminary enquiries (PEs) on October 23, 2013, on directions of the apex court. These included misconduct by then Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda and unknown officials in the allotment of iron ore mines at Ankua in Singhbhum district of Jharkhand to Tata Steel.
However, since the CBI has not found any concrete evidence to register an First Information Report in any of the cases, the matter will soon be closed. The agency will submit a report on its findings to the SC next month.
Two PEs were registered to probe the alleged criminal misconduct of public servants and role of private persons with respect to surveys and raids conducted by the Income Tax Department and payment of illegal gratification by private persons to Income Tax officials. CBI’s Chennai branch has also lodged an inquiry into the supply of low floor buses by Tata Motors to the Tamil Nadu government under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
Another PE related to allegations of providing accommodation entries, creation of paper companies, bogus billing and cash payment to various persons.
The two-judge Bench, led by judge G S Singhvi, had criticised the government for its reluctance to probe other aspects apart from the 2G spectrum case based on Radia’s conversations.
“Virtually in every government field, private persons —you call them liasoning officers or middlemen — are present in every nook and corner,” the bench said. It also said that Radia’s conversations were not confined only to the telecom sector and contain information about trans-border transactions, somebody taking over a company and other serious issues.
The conversations were recorded as part of surveillance of Radia's phone on a complaint to the finance minister on November 16, 2007 alleging that within a span of nine years, she had built up a business empire worth Rs 300 crore.
This includes the inquiry registered against Reliance Industries and former director general of hydrocarbons, V K Sibal, for alleged favours shown by him to Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and the quid pro quo received by him. The same case has been registered by Delhi government’s anti-corruption branch on former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s orders.
A senior official said CBI, after four months of probe, had not found any criminality in the matter. Earlier, too, CBI had said the taped conversations were mostly “big talk” and involved a lot of “bragging.” The agency had registered 14 preliminary enquiries (PEs) on October 23, 2013, on directions of the apex court. These included misconduct by then Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda and unknown officials in the allotment of iron ore mines at Ankua in Singhbhum district of Jharkhand to Tata Steel.
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The investigation agency named Radia along with a former civil aviation secretary and Delhi Duty Free (in IGI Airport’s T3 terminal) in its preliminary inquiry into the working of touts and middlemen and kickbacks in the aviation sector. Radia was also named in a PE registered on the alleged market manipulation and hammering of stocks of Unitech.
However, since the CBI has not found any concrete evidence to register an First Information Report in any of the cases, the matter will soon be closed. The agency will submit a report on its findings to the SC next month.
Two PEs were registered to probe the alleged criminal misconduct of public servants and role of private persons with respect to surveys and raids conducted by the Income Tax Department and payment of illegal gratification by private persons to Income Tax officials. CBI’s Chennai branch has also lodged an inquiry into the supply of low floor buses by Tata Motors to the Tamil Nadu government under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
Another PE related to allegations of providing accommodation entries, creation of paper companies, bogus billing and cash payment to various persons.
The two-judge Bench, led by judge G S Singhvi, had criticised the government for its reluctance to probe other aspects apart from the 2G spectrum case based on Radia’s conversations.
“Virtually in every government field, private persons —you call them liasoning officers or middlemen — are present in every nook and corner,” the bench said. It also said that Radia’s conversations were not confined only to the telecom sector and contain information about trans-border transactions, somebody taking over a company and other serious issues.
The conversations were recorded as part of surveillance of Radia's phone on a complaint to the finance minister on November 16, 2007 alleging that within a span of nine years, she had built up a business empire worth Rs 300 crore.