The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will likely file two more chargesheets in the second generation (2G) telecom spectrum allocation case, a senior agency official told Business Standard. Till now, CBI has filed two chargesheets in the case.
The fresh chargesheets might help CBI establish that government officials/public servants indeed received kickbacks from companies like Unitech and Swan Telecom in the 2G spectrum case, according to the official. Till now, the agency’s chargesheets have largely focused on criminal conspiracy between public and private parties in allocation of the licences.
CBI is confident of achieving the conviction of former telecom minister A Raja by early 2013, the official said. Raja, along with 13 others who were taken into judicial custody for the case, are out on bail.
| 2G SPECTRUM SCAM | |
| Chargesheet: First | Date: 2.4.2011 |
| Accused: Former telecom minister A Raja, former telecom secy Siddhartha Behura, Raja's personal secy R K Chandolia, RCom's Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair, Unitech Wireless' Sanjay Chandra, DB Realty's Shahid Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Swan, Unitech Wireless and RCom | Description: CBI alleged that the DoT officials had selectively leaked information about the date of issuance of letter of intent (LoI) to ineligible candidates, causing a loss of Rs 30,984 crore to the exchequer |
| Chargesheet: Supplementary | Date: 25.4.2011 |
| Accused: DMK MP Kanimozhi, Kalaignar MD Sharad Kumar, Kusegaon fruits and Vegetables' Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, Cineyug Films’ Karim Morani | Description: CBI disclosed the money trail of Rs 200 crore from DB Realty to Kalaignar TV through a circuitous route via Kusegaon Fruits & Vegetables (a DB group company) and Cineyug Films |
| Chargesheet: Third | Date: 12.12.2011 |
| Accused: Essar's Anshuman and Ravi Ruia, Loop Telecom's I P Kaitan and Kiran Khaitan, Essar Group's Director Vikas Saraf, Loop Telecom, Loop Mobile and Essar Teleholding | Description: CBI alleged that the accused created a complex veil to cheat DoT and thereby violated the clause 8 of UAS licence guidelines |
The probe into Unitech’s “suspicious transaction” of $51 million (Rs 250 crore) and the stake transfer from Swan to the Mauritius-based Delphi Investment Fund would require fresh chargesheets if the allegations are substantiated, according to the official.
CBI’s investigation in both cases is pending due to delay in the response to letters rogatory sent to (Isle of Man) UK, Mauritius and Switzerland.
CBI is alleging a quid pro quo to unknown public servants in relation to the allocation of unified access service licences to Unitech group companies. Currently, the only charge against Unitech’s Sanjay Chandra is that of cheating under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code.
Even during the trial, Chandra’s defence has been that his case should not be clubbed with the other accused who are facing charges such as abetment to crime, forgery and criminal misconduct. So far, there is no case of “quid pro quo” against Chandra or Unitech unlike the bribe allegation against DB Realty for a transfer of Rs 200 crore to Kalaignar TV through a chain of companies.
Unitech made a “suspicious transaction” of $51 million from Unitech to Switzerland-based bank account of Unitech Overseas, CBI has said. The investigative agency has alleged the proximity of the investment of $51 million and erosion of its entire worth prima facie indicate “a strong suspicion of the amounts having been paid as quid pro quo.”
For Raja too, things could get more complicated in connection with CBI’s probe of money transfer to Delphi Investment Fund, a company CBI suspects has links to the former telecom minister.
Reliance Telecom sold its stake in Swan Telecom to Delphi Investments after the latter procured the licence for GSM spectrum. Delphi further offloaded the stake to Mavi Investment fund which is held by the Switzerland-based BTS Belvoir Investments. CBI sent the letter rogatory to the Swiss authorities to investigate the beneficiary of the stake transfer, but is yet to get any information from Switzerland.
