Author: Ritu Sarin
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: June 2, 2011
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/exfbi-chief-helped-cbi-meet-man-who-could-testify-on-maran/798399/0
Investigation into allotment of spectrum licences between the years 2001 and
2007 is set to gather momentum with the Central Bureau of Investigation expecting
to record the written statement of NRI businessman and Chairman of the Sterling
Group, C Shivasankaran, within the next few days.
Significantly, Shivasankaran has already had
one round of interactions with top CBI officials handling the 2G spectrum
probe. And that meeting - on May 18 - happened at the behest of former Director
of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louis Freeh.
Officials said that Freeh, who headed the FBI between 1993 and 2001, and is
now a practising lawyer and consultant, described Shivasankaran, or Shiva
as he is called, as his "client". The same day, the CBI had also
arranged for Freeh to deliver an in-house lecture at its new headquarters
and Shivasankaran promised to return within the next two to three weeks for
his statement to be formally recorded.
The role of the NRI businessman could be critical
to the next stage of investigations in the 2G scam. This is because Textiles
Minister and former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran is currently under attack
for being in an A Raja-like situation to allegedly favour the Malasiya-based
Maxis Group and its proprieter Ananda Krishnan in the award of 14 UASL licences
for his company, Aircel.
And it was Shivasankaran, who in 2005 - after
his applications for more licences were reportedly put in cold storage by
the Telecom Ministry - sold his entire stake in Aircel to Maxis and their
Indian partner, the Reddy family of Apollo Hospital with a 74% and 26% equity
respectively.
The deal was struck for $1.08 billion and
within a short time, all pending applications of Aircel were cleared by the
Ministry along with seven more. Maran and Maxims now face allegations of a
quid pro quo since months after the grant of new licences, group companies
of Ananda Krishnan reportedly put in $150 million (approximately Rs 600 crore)
into DMK-owned Sun TV.
The CBI which has already registered a PE
(preliminary enquiry) into the pre-Raja grant of licences against "unknown
persons" folowing directions from the apex court is understood to have
stated in its last status report that with two charegsheets filed, it will
"actively" pursue the probe into spectrum allocations made during
Maran's tenure.
Said a senior official: "In this scenario,
the testimony and complaints of Shiva could assume importance. We need a complainant
and the indication so far is that Shivasankaran may have been pressured into
selling his stake to Maxis."
