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Former Telecom Minister A Raja’s troubles are far from over. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a new case against him, on allegedly amassing disproportionate assets worth Rs 27.92 crore during 1999-2010.
Raja is already under trial as one of the main accused in the 2G telecom spectrum scam. CBI had registered a case against him five years earlier in that case.
Sources in the probe agency said it had filed a case against Raja and 16 others, including his wife, Parameswari, nephew Parmeshkumar, associate C Krishnamoorthy who is also director of Kovai Shelters, the wife of Sadiq Basha, an alleged associate of Raja who had committed suicide, and Reha Banu, a director in Greenhouse Promoters which was earlier owned by Basha, among others.
“It has been further alleged that during the period 1999-2010, while serving as Member of Parliament and Union minister for various ministries, he had amassed assets and pecuniary resources to the tune of Rs 27.92 crores in his name and in the name of family members and his friends and other close associates which were disproportionate to his known and lawful sources of income,” a CBI spokesperson said.
Sources said the First Information Report says many of his close relatives and associates had “an exponential financial growth under suspicious circumstances and have acquired assets worth several crores of rupees without sufficient wherewithal during the period”.
“Several immovable properties have been acquired in the names of friends and family members, and other private firms which were or are managed by close relatives & associates of the former minister,” sources said. CBI carried out searches at 20 locations, including Raja’s house, here on Wednesday.
Several documents had been taken and certain bank accounts and fixed feposits in the names of the accused had been identified, the CBI spokesperson added.
