CBI files case over BSNL WiMax deal
The CBI on Saturday registered a fresh case in connection with the alleged irregularities committed in awarding Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)’s Leased Service Area (LSA) contract for Worldwide interoperability for Microwave access (WiMax) services to a private firm. The LSA contract (worth `535 crores) for WiMax services, which is being probed by the agency, was allegedly awarded during former communications minister A. Raja’s tenure.
According to sources, the FIR has been registered against the then chairman-cum-managing director of BSNL Kuldeep Goyal, director, consumer mobility, R.K. Aggarwal, the then general manager Pradeep Nagpal and then DGM, strategic planning, Anil Kumar and senior official of a private company S. Manoharan.
Besides, two private companies have also been named in the FIR.
Immediately after registering the FIR, the agency officials conducted searches at nine places in Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Chennai and Kolkata. The CBI officials recovered incriminating documents during the searches.
“The agency had earlier registered a PE to probe irregularities in BSNL’s WiMax deal. After collecting evidence against BSNL officials in the WiMax deal, agency officials decided to convert the PE into a regular case,” sources said. It was first reported in this newspaper that the CBI will soon lodge an FIR in BSNL’s WiMax deal. Wimax is one of the technologies that offers wireless broadband services.
The agency in its FIR said, “The BSNL on June 3, 2009, floated tender for short-listing bidders for WiMax franchise. Accused BSNL officials allegedly abused their position and facilitated award of LSA contract for development of WiMax services to a private company by intentionally withholding the sale of tender documents in a fraudulent manner, and, allegedly diluting the eligibility conditions to accommodate the company and thus causing an estimated wrongful loss of approximately `535.50 crores to BSNL.”
“There are allegations that the company did not have the required qualification of `100 crores annual turnover for the last two years,” sources said.
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