CBI probing Aircel licence

Jun 02, 2011 |

Age Corespondent

New Delhi

The CBI has now started investigating the circumstances under which Aircel was not granted telecom licence when the company had applied first during the tenure of former communications minister Dayanidhi Maran. Sources in the agency said the CBI is also scrutinising the documents on the basis of which the same telecom company was granted licence after a few years during Mr Maran’s tenure.

Sources in the CBI said, “The agency has already initiated its investigation into the preliminary enquiry (PE) registered to probe criminal aspects, if any, in the allotment of spectrum licences since 2001. Scrutinising documents related to the allotment of telecom licence to Aircel during Maran’s tenure is part of the probe under the PE. On what ground was the application of the same company rejected by the DoT when it had applied first, needs to be probed also.”
The agency has also decided to go into the minutes of the meetings held by former communications ministers, which included the late Pramod Mahajan, Arun Shourie and Dayanidhi Maran.
The PE has been registered to ascertain whether or not the provision of “first-come-first-serve” for granting spectrum licences was followed by the predecessors of former communications minister A. Raja, sources said. The agency has already questioned former communications minister Arun Shourie in this regard, sources said, adding that if required, he may be called for questioning again.
“If required, the agency may collect fresh documents from the department of telecommunication in this regard. We may call representatives of certain private telecom companies who were awarded telecom licences before 2007 for questioning,” sources said. But questioning will take place only after if the agency finds it fit to register a regular case by filing an FIR, sources said.
Sources further said, “The agency is also looking into various aspects of takeover of Aircel by a Malaysia-based company. The agency is also taking assistance of the Enforcement Directorate in this regard.”

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