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Aircel-Maxis deal: CBI charges Marans, says they took Rs 742 crore bribe [India] [Times of India]
[September 03, 2014]

Aircel-Maxis deal: CBI charges Marans, says they took Rs 742 crore bribe [India] [Times of India]


(Times of India Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) NEW DELHI: The CBI on Friday filed a chargesheet in the Aircel-Maxis deal claiming that former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and his family had received a bribe of Rs 742 crore for coercing entrepreneur C Sivasankaran to sell his telecom company Aircel to Malaysia-based Maxis.



The agency has named Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi, T Ananda Krishnan, Malaysia-based promoter of Maxis, Augustus Ralph Marshall - who headed Maxis' UK-based subsidiary Astro All Asia Network - and Sun Direct TV Pvt Limited, Astro All Asia Network, Maxis Communications and South Asia Entertainment, Mauritius. The chargesheet also mentions ex-telecom secretary JS Sharma, who has died and hence his name is in a column of the accused against whom trial cannot proceed.

The CBI said it had completed the investigations without receiving a reply from Malaysia as responses from the UK and Mauritius helped them establish the charges.


The Supreme Court had given a go ahead to the agency to file the chargesheet in the case. Earlier, CBI director Ranjit Sinha was not in favour of filing a chargesheet, but attorney general Mukul Rohatgi opined that its can be filed with the available evidence.

In its chargesheet, CBI said that the bribe of Rs 549 crore in return of the favours was paid by Maxis through its subsidiary Astro All Asia Network Pvt Limited, based in the UK in the garb of investment (total investment of Rs 629 crore) in Sun Direct Pvt Limited, owned by Kalanithi Maran. The investment was done through purchase of shares of Sun Direct Pvt Limited by a Mauritius-based subsidiary of Astro Asia- South Asia Entertainment Holdings Limited at a premium of Rs 69.57, CBI sources said giving details of charges. Dayanidhi Maran (right) with DMK chief M Karunanidhi.

The agency said besides Astro-All Asia Network, another bribe of Rs 193 crore was paid to South Asia FM Limited in Chennai, owned by the Maran family, through its Mauritius-based subsidiaries - South Asia Multimedia Technologies and South Asia Software Technologies Limited.

The CBI said the chargesheet focussed only on the money trail of illegal gratification and the probe is on how the money was brought in for the investment in Aircel.

"The aspect of the irregularity in grant of FIPB approval to M/s Global Communication Services Holdings Limited and the role of Indian Partner M/s Sindya Securities and Investment Pvt Limited, owned by Sunita Reddy of Apollo Group, in holding 26 per cent equity of Aircel is being further investigated," said CBI sources. CBI director Ranjit Sinha.

Giving details on how Aircel was sold to Maxis, the CBI said, "Investigations revealed that Dayanidhi Maran, the then telecom minister, in abuse of official position constricted the business environment of Aircel Televentures Limited on frivolous ground with an intent to force its exit from telecom business and its sale to Maxis Communication, Malaysia." It is alleged that various proposals, which were crucial to functioning of Aircel, including licences for various circles and change in equity, were kept pending by Maran on frivolous grounds for nearly eight months despite clearances from various departments. "Sivasankaran wanted to sell the Aircel Cellular Limited to Aircel Digilink India Ltd, owned by Hutchison Essar Limited, but allegedly the minister (Maran) kept the matter pending for eight months in respect of change in equity share pattern of Aircel Limited to Aircel Digilink India Limited despite unanimous recommendation from the officials of department of telecom," said the agency.

Aircel had to withdraw the application after eight months citing reasons that the approval for change in equity was not received from the DoT, it alleged.

"This is why charge of abuse of official position has been made in the chargesheet against the former minister. However, since the charges of criminal conspiracy are also there, all the accused will be judged by the same yardstick," said a CBI officer.

In November 2005, Sivasankaran was told by Maran to sell the company to Maxis through meetings and phone calls.

"After the change in ownership, the requests/approvals pending for long before the DoT were acceded to and undue favour was given to these companies," the CBI alleged in the chargesheet.

The 72-page chargesheet includes the names of 151 witnesses and a set of 655 documents.

Maran, who has been examined by the CBI, has denied all the allegations against him and his family members.

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