2G Scam Details - kanimozhi 2g scam

2G Scam Details -    kanimozhi 2g scam

* Three firms have been charged: Reliance Telecom, Swan Telecom (now called Etisalat DB) and Unitech Wireless.

Etisalat DB is now part-owned by Abu Dhabi-based Etisalat. Norway’s Telenor owns a majority of Unitech Wireless and the rest is owned by Indian realty firm Unitech Ltd. Both Etisalat and Telenorinvested in their Indian ventures after the events in question.

* Top officials of Swan and Unitech conspired with Raja for undue favours during the issue of mobile phone licences, CBI say. Unitech managing director Sanjay Chandra and Swan directors Shahid Balwa and Vinod Goenka are also accused in the chargesheet.

* CBI say that at the time of applying for licences, Swan Telecom was an associate of Reliance ADA Group, which controls India’s No. 2 mobile firm Reliance Communications. This made Swan ineligible to win the contract under rules capping cross-holdings in the sector.

Under Indian telecoms rules, no company is allowed to own 10 percent or more of another licensee in the same zone. Reliance ADA Group officials hid Swan’s association with Reliance to skirt the clause, police say.

* CBI have charged three officials of Reliance ADA Group, including Gautam Doshi, a group managing director.

* Raja and the then-telecoms secretary Siddhartha Behura did not act on complaints against Relianceand Swan, CBI say. Raja also misled Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the decisions and fraudulently justified them, CBI say.

* Raja “deliberately and dishonestly” did not consider auction of radio spectrum and instead gave it away on a first-come first-served basis which was also rigged, police say.

He is also accused of issuing cellphone licences in 2008 at a price that was set in 2001, depriving the government exchequer of more revenues.

* Raja, Kanimozhi — the MP daughter of DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, a key coalition ally — and the managing director of Kalaignar TV channel controlled by DMK, accepted an “illegal gratification” of 2 billion rupees ($45 million) in the TV channel from DB Group’s Balwa and Goenka, CBI say.

* The money accepted was a “reward in lieu of the undue favours” shown by former minister Raja in the allocation of telecoms licences and valuable radio spectrum to Swan Telecom, police say.

* Three other accused — including DB Group’s Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal — “intentionally aided and facilitated” the 2 billion rupees bribes paid by Shahid

Source : http://businessworldindia.com