The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plans to make Suneeta Reddy of Apollo Hospitals a witness to tighten its case against the individuals indicted in the Aircel-Maxis deal.
Reddy holds 26 per cent stake in Aircel, which Dayanidhi Maran, during his tenure as Minister of Telecommunications and IT, allegedly coerced C. Sivasankaran to sell to the Maxis Group.
When Malaysia-based Maxis Group and Aircel inked the deal, following Dayanidhi Maran’s alleged intervention, Reddy bought a 26 per cent stake in the company.
Prior to this, the CBI had has examined Maran?s premises after registering a case against him in connection with the Aircel-Maxis deal. The agency is also examining his brother Kalanidhi Maran, Maxis owner T. Ananda Krishnan, senior executive Ralph Marshall and three companies Aspro, Maxis and Sun TV in the case on charges of criminal conspiracy under the IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act.
Former Aircel Chief C. Sivasankaran has alleged that Maran as the then telecom minister favoured the Maxis Group in the takeover of his company. Further, he has said that in return, investments were made by the company through the Astro network in Sun TV, which is owned by the Maran family.
The CBI, in its status report to the Supreme Court, had said that during Maran’s tenure, there was a deliberate delay in providing a letter of intent to Sivasankaran.
The agency had said that after Aircel was sold to Maxis, investments were made by the Malaysian firm in the Maran?s family business.
Sivasankaran had alleged that his applications for licences were rejected when Maran was telecom minister in 2006, forcing him to sell his company to Maxis, whose owner is considered to be close to Maran and his brother Kalanidhi, who owns Sun TV.
Thereafter, Maran is alleged to have granted 14 licences to Dishnet Wireless (Aircel) during his tenure as the telecom minister. The allegations have been refuted by Maran.
