CBI TO GRILL PC IN AIRCEL-MAXIS SCAM SOON
Saturday, 11 October 2014 | PNS | New Delhi
The CBI on Friday said it will soon question former Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the controversial FIPB clearance granted to the Malaysian firm Maxis for the Indian telecom firm Aircel takeover.
The move comes on a day when the Supreme Court asked the agency to inform it by Thursday the details of the probe regarding Chidambaram’s role. Without mentioning the specific date for Chidambaram’s questioning in the Aircel-Maxis deal, a senior CBI official said the agency will question him “soon”.
Earlier in the day, Supreme Court asked CBI to inform by Thursday on the progress of probe against former Finance Minister P Chidambaram in granting Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to the Aircel-Maxis deal.
The name of Chidambaram cropped up in the chargesheet filed by CBI before a Special 2G court where it called in question the former Finance Minister’s conduct in granting approval to the Malaysian firm Maxis without following the due process.
This fact was brought to the notice of the court by senior BJP leader and 2G petitioner Subramanian Swamy who has filed an application in this regard. Appearing before a bench of Chief Justice HL Dattu and SA Bobde, Swamy said, “In the chargesheet, which the CBI has filed in Aircel-Maxis case, there are some lines which raise a suspicion on the role of Chidambaram in granting FIPB clearance. I have not heard anything about the progress made in the case.”
The bench pointed out this matter to senior advocate KK Venugopal who appeared for CBI. “Venugopal has taken note of what you have said. He will take appropriate instruction about it on the next date,” the bench said.
CBI sources indicated that the agency is also probing the role Chidambaram’s son Karti’s financial deals with Aircel Promoter C Sivasankaran’s companies during the FIPB approval period in early 2006.
Karti-linked company called Advantage Strategic Consulting had a “doubtful” financial transaction with Aircel Televentures, which received more than Rs 3,200 crore from Maxis. Sources said that father-son duo are set to be called for seeking clarifications.
CBI’s chargesheet filed against former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanidhi stated that the agency as probing the role of the then Finance Minister Chidambaram in approving the FIPB clearance of the Aircel-Maxis deal.
The chargesheet has claimed that Chidamabaram was not empowered to clear the deal as Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) is not entitled to grant approval for deals over Rs 600 crore. Chidambaram had cleared the deal at a meeting of FIPB chaired by him.
During the argument, CBI’s Prosecutor AK Goel recently told the designated 2G court that, as the Aircel-Maxis deal is above Rs 3,500 core, Chidambaram should have sent the matter to Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
CBI’s FIR also says that though the permissible FDI level in the telecom sector was 74 per cent, Maxis had declared to Malaysian Stock Exchange that they had acquired more than 99 per cent stakes in Aircel.http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-newspaper/cbi-to-grill-pc--in-aircel-maxis--scam-soon.html