CBI knows everything on 2G: Arun Shourie

Former Telecom Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Shourie has said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is aware of everything, including the identity of the man who handled the bribe money in the telecom ministry in the 2G scam.

In an interview to NDTV’s Walk The Talk programme to be aired fully on Saturday, he said the CBI also knows the front companies of the beneficiary telecom firms that acted on their behalf but it remains a mystery why the critical person who handled the money has not been questioned till date.

“The CBI knows to such an extent that the officer has said that these companies’ representatives used to bring the note which he should sign on a pen drive. It used to be put into my computer, a print taken and Raja would sign it. To this detail the CBI knows. CBI knows the identity of the front companies that were used,” Shourie said.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the 2G Spectrum scam was tabled in both the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday.

Stating that the 2G spectrum allocation process lacked transparency, the report said Raja’s decision had cost the exchequer Rs 1.76 lakh crore and that 85 of the 125 licences issued were found to be given to companies which did not satisfy basic eligibility criteria.

The CAG said Swan Telecom, one of the companies that got the licence, appeared to act as a “front company” on behalf of Anil Ambani-led Reliance Telecom.

The CAG said the Swan Telecom’s application was “in effect against the intent and spirit” of the Unified Access Service Licencing (UASL) guidelines as it was among those beneficiaries which “suppressed facts, disclosed incomplete information and submitted fictitious documents” to the Department of Telecom.

Reliance Communications, however, said the group has no shareholding in Swan at the time of the licence or later.

The CAG also has indicted the ministry for allocating 2G spectrum to Unitech Wireless, which had no experience in telecommunication sector and had fault in the company’s memorandum of understanding and memorandum of association.

Reports said after Unitech got the licence for Rs. 1,661 crore, it sold 60 per cent stake to Telenor for Rs. 6,200 crore, as the CAG said that the high value paid by the latter was for the 2G spectrum and not other inputs as claimed by Unitech.

Nordic telecom operator Telenor ASA’s CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas on Sunday told reporters that his company would cooperate with the government agencies but it was no way involved since it came into the picture much later and had conformed to all regulations during its investment.

Media reports said DoT is contemplating cancellation of 85 spectrum licences allocated in 2008 that the CAG termed ineligible.

The companies found to be ineligible, according to reports, are eight Unitech group companies, including Infrastructure Pvt Ltd and Azare Properties Ltd, besides Shipping Stop Dotcom Pvt Ltd, presently Loop Telecom, the Allianz Infratech which merged with Etisalat DB Telecom PVt Ltd and Datacom Solutions, now Etisalat DB Telecom.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court also criticized Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his inability to act against A Raja, who resigned under pressure on Sunday night.

The apex court referred to a letter to the PM from Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy where he sought sanction to have Raja indicted over corruption charges.