A court here on Thursday discharged all accused in the Aircel-Maxis deal case, including former Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran, observing that "no prima facie case warranting framing of charge against any of the accused is made out".
Special Judge O.P. Saini discharged Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran, Kalanithi's wife Kavery Kalanithi, South Asia FM Ltd (SAFL) Managing Director K. Shanmugam and three companies -- SAFL and Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd (SDTPL) and South Asia Entertainment Holdings Ltd, Mauritius in two different cases.
The court was hearing two different matters related to Aircel-Maxis deal lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The Maran brothers and company SDTPL were accused in both cases.
ED has chargesheeted the Maran brothers, Kavery, Shanmugam and companies SDTPL and SAFL as accused in the case while CBI has booked the brothers, company SDTPL and South Asia Entertainment Holdings Ltd in its case.
"I am satisfied that the entire case is based on the misreading of the official files, contradictory statements of the witnesses as well as speculations and surmises of C. Sivasankaran. I have no hesitation in recording no prima facie case warranting framing of charge against any of the accused is made out," the court said.
"Accordingly, all accused stand discharged."
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On August 29, 2014, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a chargesheet along with documents in 15 boxes.
The CBI had alleged that Dayanidhi Maran, as Minister in the UPA-I government, used his influence to help Malaysian businessman T.A. Ananda Krishnan buy Aircel by coercing its owner Sivasankaran to part with his stake.
Sivasankaran alleged that Maran favoured the Maxis Group in the takeover of his company. In return, he alleged, the company made investments through Astro Network in a company stated to be owned by the Maran family.
The chargesheet was filed under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and other relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The ED has filed its chargesheet on January 8, 2016 alleging that Rs 742.58 crore was paid as illegal gratification to Dayanidhi Maran by Mauritius-based companies.
The money was paid in two companies namely SDTPL and SAFL, which were controlled by Kalanithi Maran.
The probe revealed that promoters of the SDTPL are Kalanithi Maran and Kavery Kalanithi.
Dayanidhi Maran obtained the proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 742.58 crore through the companies of his relatives by camouflaging the proceeds of crime as capital contribution in SDTPL and SAFL and has committed the offence of money laundering, the ED alleged.
The court observed that there is no existence of proceeds of crime that Maran and others accused persons laundered Rs 742.58 crore and said that "there is no ground to proceed against the accused persons."
The court on November 16 had also reserved its order, but has to defer it six times as documents are extremely voluminous, old, dusty, technical and complex in nature.
--IANS
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