M A I N   N E W S

Aircel-Maxis deal
CBI seeks money trail details from 4 nations

New Delhi, April 15
A special CBI court has issued Letters Rogatory (LRs) to UK, Bermuda, Malaysia and Mauritius seeking details of the money trail in the Aircel-Maxis deal in which former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran is an accused.

The LRs are an attempt by the agency to get details of financial transactions from these four countries that would help in deciphering the money trail in the case.

The CBI has alleged that Maran received Rs 547 crore as kickbacks from Malaysian telecom company Maxis, sources said. The agency is also likely to question Maran in connection with the case this month, they said. These allegations have been refuted by Maran. An email seeking Maxis' comment remained unanswered. The CBI probe has reached the shores of the Caribbean island of Bermuda and the United Kingdom from where the money was allegedly routed to Indian companies. The agency had earlier confined its probe to Malaysia and Mauritius in connection with the alleged routing of money in the take over of Aircel by Malaysian giant Maxis.

Besides Maran, the CBI had also accused his brother Kalanithi Maran, Sun Direct TV director, Maxis Communication chairman T Ananda Krishnan, senior executive of Astro All Asia Network and Maxis' Ralph Marshall and three companies — Astro All Asia Networks, Sun Direct TV and Maxis Communications — of complicity.

It has been alleged by Aircel former chief C Sivasankaran that Maran as the then Telecom Minister had favoured the Maxis group in the take over of his company and that return investments were made by it through Astro Network in Sun TV, owned by the Maran family.

Sources in the CBI alleged that a quid-pro-quo on the part of the then Telecom Minister was established. They also alleged that the probe indicated that there was evidence to suggest that files relating to Sivasankaran were “deliberately” delayed. — PTI

Maran’s ‘Role’

n The CBI has alleged that ex-Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran received
Rs 547 crore from Malaysian telecom company Maxis and sat over Aircel’s licence request

n He allegedly deprived Aircel, then owned by C Sivasankaran, the licence since he wanted him to sell it to Ananda Krishnan, who was close to the Marans

n Once Maxis took over Aircel, it got licences for 14 circles in a very short span

n The agency is likely to question Maran this month