2G scam: CBI to file first chargesheet against Raja, others today

2G scam: CBI to file first chargesheet against Raja, others today

The CBI will file its first chargesheet on Saturday into the 2G spectrum scam against former Telecom Min A Raja and some of his close aides besides a couple of real estate companies for allegedly defrauding the exchequer.

The second set of charges may be levelled in the supplementary chargesheet which is likely to be filed later this month.

The CBI has informed the Supreme Court that telecom companies - Swan Telecom and Loop Telecom - were used as front companies by established telecom players to get 2G spectrum illegally during the tenure of Raja.

The agency had said in the court that Raja will face charges of "cheating, forgery, and corruption".

The CBI submitted before the court that Swan and Loop hid details about their companies to get spectrum and they will be facing charges of "cheating" and "criminal conspiracy".

The agency had told the court that there was evidence of "forgery" in altering of first-come-first-serve policy to allow some companies to get 2G spectrum during Raja's tenure.

CBI sources, however, said the extent of loss to the state exchequer may not be included in this chargesheet as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was yet to complete the process of ascertaining the loss on allocation of spectrum to all operators between 2001 and 2008.

The chargesheet will be filed in the special court of Justice O P Saini.

The CBI had last year informed the apex court that it would be filing the first set of charge sheet by 31^st March which will include the investigations made by the agency as well as by the Enforcement Directorate in the case. But it sought two more days time in the light of some new developments.

The agency had arrested brother of Shahid Balwa, Asif and Rajiv Agrawal both promoters of Kusegaon fruit and vegetables private limited.

The CBI is expected to seek permission from the court for continuance of its probe in the case after filing its first chargesheet.

It wants to investigate various angles including criminal conspiracy for favouring certain companies, abuse of official position for getting pecuniary benefits and the companies which manipulated the records to secure loans.

The sources said that besides those arrested in the case including Raja, his personal aide R K Chandolia, former Telecom Secretary Siddartha Behura, former Managing Director of Etislat DB (earlier Swan Telecom) Shahid Usman Balwa.

The probe agency had earlier said the government may have lost over Rs 22,000 crore due to irregularities in the allocation of spectrum in January, 2008, by Raja who was arrested on charges of favouring some private firms.

The CAG has put the presumptive loss to the exchequer at Rs 1.76 lakh crore.