Begins process of issuing Letters Rogatory.
Widening its ambit of probe in the multi-crore 2G spectrum scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has begun the process of issuing Letters Rogatory to at least 10 countries, including Russia and the UAE, to know the source of funding to telecom companies that were allotted the radiowaves.
ED, which is jointly probing the Rs 22,000-crore scam with the Central Bureau of Invetigation (CBI), has already approached its counterparts in the countries with footprints of telecom companies that were allotted spectrum between September 2007 and January 2008.
Official sources said the papers were being prepared for approaching the local court here for issuance of Letters Rogatory to countries including tax havens such as Isle of Man, Cyprus and Mauritius, besides the UAE, Norway, Singapore, Libya and Russia.
Letters Rogatory is a formal request issued by a competent court to a foreign court and processed by the Ministry of External Affairs on behalf of the investigative agencies to obtain information about individuals and entities.
The Letters Rogatory, which will be routed to these countries through Legal and Treaties Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, were meant to seek details about financial transactions and background of certain entities that had pumped money into the Indian telecom companies.
ED had launched a probe and registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to ascertain financial transactions spread across various countries.
It has already completed the first round of its probe with all main telecom companies allegedly involved in the scam. These companies have submitted details about their financial transactions, foreign holding, the financial backers and information about their subsidiaries.
It will now hold a second round of questioning with the telecom companies. CBI is also investigating the case and had recently conducted
raids at the premises of former communications minister, A Raja, and some former communications ministry officials.
