2G scam: CBI records ex-Aircel chief Sivasankaran's statement

New Delhi, June 6 (PTI) India's premier investigative
agency, CBI on Monday recorded statement of former Aircel
chief C Sivasankaran in connection with its ongoing
investigations in the second generation spectrum allocation
scam during UPA-I regime.
CBI sources said Sivasankaran was asked to meet its
officials to clarify certain questions and series of events
involving alleged irregularities in spectrum allocation to
Aircel, a telecom firm founded by him and later sold to
Malaysian firm Maxis.
Sivasankaran heads USD three billion conglomerate, Siva
Group, with operations in realty, telecom, shipping, energy
and agri exports and e-education/software.
Sources said Sivasankaran statements were being recorded
at an undisclosed location in the national capital.
They said Sivasankaran had alleged that he was forced by
DMK MP and Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran to sell his stake
in Aircel to Maxis.
Sivasankaran had alleged his applications for licences
were rejected when Maran was the telecom minister in 2006,
forcing him to sold his company to Maxis, whose owner is
considered to be close to Maran and his brother Kalanidhi, who
owns Sun TV.
Maran is alleged to have granted 14 licences to Dishnet
Wireless (Aircel) during his tenure as the telecom minister.
CBI is looking into financial transactions of Sun TV and
Maxis. Besides, it is also looking into various aspects of
takeover of Aircel by Maxis group, the sources said.
The probe agency has already registered a preliminary
enquiry on issues in 2G spectrum allocation between 2001-07
and is actively looking into matter.
The preliminary enquiry was registered against "unknown
persons" following a Supreme Court directive to detect any
alleged anomaly in 'first-come-first-serve' during the
spectrum allocation between 2001-07.
Maxis has 74 per cent stake in Aircel which has presence
in 23 telecom circles -- Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Assam, North
East, Orissa, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, West
Bengal, Kolkata, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, UP
(West), UP (East), Maharashtra and Goa, Mumbai, Haryana,
Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Former telecom minister Arun Shourie, who held the charge
between 2003-04, has already been questioned by the CBI on
February 25 in detail about the allocation of telecom airwaves
during his tenure.