CBI probing ‘2G kickback’ tapes: The Central Bureau of Investigation will examine the alleged conversation between M.S. Jaffar Sait, when he was the Additional Director-General of Police (Intelligence), Tamil Nadu, and Sharad Kumar Reddy, former managing director of Kalaignar TV, which was published in a section of the media a couple of days ago. The Supreme Court order directing a CBI probe into possible criminality indicated in corporate lobbyist Niira Radias intercepted telephone calls will lead the agency to look into some of the high-value deals linked to big corporate houses headed by Mukesh Amabani, Anil Ambani and the Tatas. Former CBI director Amar Pratap Singh cleared Sunil Bharti Mittals name in the 2G scam just seven days before his retirement in November 2012, despite his sleuths alleging that Mittal was the brain behind the scam. A special leave petition filed in the Supreme Court attaches documents that show that every CBI officer investigating the case had recommended that Sunil Bharti Mittal of Bharti Cellular Limited should be prosecuted for his role in the 2G scam. The Central Bureau of Investigation told a Delhi court in January that it would look into allegations against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the 2G spectrum case. It did so by merging a complaint against the Prime Minister and Dayanidhi Maran with an FRI already lodged in the Aircel-Maxis case. According to documents accessed by this newspaper, the CBI filed a status report in the court of Special Judge, Anti-Corruption Bureau, Tis Hazari, Delhi on 7 January 2013. Hitting out at JPC Chairman P C Chacko for not inviting former Telecom Minister A Raja to depose before it, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha today alleged that the panel could be used to “conceal the truth” in the 2G scam rather than expose it. He dubbed the decision of not calling Raja as a “serious omission”. New evidence shows that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, far from being “at arm’s length” from ex-Telecom Minister A. Raja’s controversial 2G decisions, had directed officials in the PMO to “examine urgently” Mr. Raja’s letters outlining his intended decisions which eventually led to the 2G scam on January 10, 2008. Investigation now reveals that senior PMO officials had supported several of Mr. Raja’s acts on file, well before the 2G scam. Former Telecom Minister A Raja, the main accused in 2G spectrum scam, has told the JPC that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in the loop over policy decisions and has accused Attorney General G E Vahanvati of telling a series of untruths against him. Raja, who could not personally appear before the JPC, has responded to a questionnaire sent by the committee, saying the Prime Minister and the then External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee were kept informed on the licencing policy. The JPC has given a clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 2G spectrum allocation, saying he was misled by the then telecom minister A Raja whose assurances stood belied. The draft report of the JPC also rubbishes the loss figure of Rs 1.76 lakh crore estimated by CAG, saying it was ill-conceived. A prosecution witness today told a Delhi court that Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd, whose promoter Shahid Usman Balwa and others are facing trial in the 2G spectrum case, was not a front company of Reliance Telecom Ltd (RTL).
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 06:18:15 +0000
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