Dayanidhi Maran quizzed by CBI in Aircel-Maxis deal case
MDT/PTI 27 July 2012

CBI sources said Maran was questioned earlier this month, the first time after the agency had registered a regular case against him

 
New Delhi: India’s former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran has been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the allegations that he had received Rs547 crore as kickbacks from a Malaysian company in the controversial Aircel-Maxis deal, reports PTI.
 
CBI sources said Mr Maran was questioned earlier this month, the first time after the agency had registered a regular case against him, his brother Kalanithi Maran, Sun Direct TV Pvt Director, chairman of Maxis Communication 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 on charges of complicity.
 
Mr Maran’s statement was recorded. He shared information of whatever he remembered with the CBI, the sources said.
 
Mr Maran was earlier examined by the CBI in September 2011 when the agency had registered a preliminary enquiry into the case but no questioning or recording of statement was done at that point.
 
The CBI had also carried out searches at his residence and nine other locations after registering a case against him last year in connection with the controversial Aircel-Maxis deal.
 
It has been alleged by former Aircel chief C Sivasankaran that Mr Maran as the then telecom minister favoured Maxis-group in the takeover of his company and in return, investments were made by the company through Astro network in Sun TV owned by the Maran family.
 
CBI claimed quid-pro-quo on part of the then telecom minister has been established during the probe. It has also been proved during the CBI probe that there is direct evidence that files of Sivasankaran were deliberately delayed, sources said.
 
“CBI has registered case against Maran brothers, Ralph Marshall and T Anandkrishnan and three companies under section 120b of the Indian Penal Code (criminal conspiracy) read with 13(2) with 13(1)(d) and also section 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The case was registered on 9th October. Searches were conducted at Delhi and southern Chennai city,” CBI spokesperson had said after registering of the case last year.
 
At 12.49pm, Sun TV was trading 12.1% down at Rs259 on the BSE, while the benchmark Sensex was up 1.7% to 16,917.
 
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