Aircel- Maxis case: CBI files charges on PC & son
On the eve of the no- confidence motion against the NDA government in Parliament, the CBI on Thursday filed a chargesheet against Congress leader and former finance minister P. Chidambaram and his son Karti for alleged irregularities and criminal conspiracy in the Aircel- Maxis deal case. The two face charges under penal provisions which carry a maximum punishment of seven years.
The supplementary charge sheet was filed by the agency before special CBI judge O. P. Saini who fixed July 31 for taking it up for consideration.
Besides Mr Chidambaram and his son, the CBI also named 10 individuals, including public servants, and six companies as accused in the case.
Sources said the charge sheet was filed for the alleged offences of criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code ( IPC), public servant taking illegal gratification, punishment for abetting this offence and public servant committing criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Reacting to the developments, Mr Chidambaram said he
will “vigorously” contest the case in the court. “The CBI has been pressured to file a charge sheet to support a preposterous allegation against me and officers with a sterling reputation,” he tweeted.
Among others listed in the charge sheet are the then secretary ( economic affairs) Ashok Jha, the then additional secretary Ashok Chawla, the then joint secretary in finance ministry Kumar Sanjay Krishna, and the then director in the ministry Dipak Kumar Singh. According to sources, the CBI is yet to obtain sanction to prosecute the public servants.
The agency has also named in the charge sheet former CEO of Aircel V. Srinivasan, Mr Chidamba- ram’s nephew A. Palan- iappan who was also the promoter of Chess Management Services, Malaysian nationals Ananda Krishnan Tatparanandam, Augustus Ralph Marshall, both linked with Maxis, S. Bhaskaraman and the then under secretary in the ministry Ram Sharan, sources said.
The six companies listed as accused are Chess Management Services Holding Ltd, Chennai- based Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt Ltd and Malaysian companies Astro All Asia Networks, Maxis Mobile, Bumi Armada Berhad and Bumi Armada Navigation.
The CBI has alleged that when foreign investment in Aircel by Malaysian telecom major Maxis was cleared by the Union finance ministry in March 13, 2006, a payment of ` 26 lakh was made by Aircel to Chennai- based Advantage Strategic Consulting, sources said.
It is alleged that Advantage Strategic Consulting was indirectly controlled by Karti Chidambaram and had raised an invoice on March 29, 2006, against which Aircel made a payment on April 1, 2006. The CBI has alleged that Chess Management Services Holding Ltd, a company in which Karti Chidambaram is promoter and director, also received ` 87 lakh in several instalments from an associate company of Maxis.
While the payment of ` 26 lakh to Advantage Strategic Consulting was shown as fee for market research, a payment of ` 87 lakh to Chess Management was shown as fee for a software, said sources quoting the charge sheet. During investigation, the agency asked Chess Management officials and Karti Chidambaram to present the software which was allegedly provided to Maxis for a fee but they could not produce any such software, they said alleging that it was a bribe for the clearance of foreign investment proposal which was laced with several irregularities.