New Delhi, February 28 (Agencies): Several crucial documents of a telecom firm given to the Department of Telecom for the allocation of 2G spectrum to it and which was key evidence in the scam has gone missing from the Department, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told a court here today. “The documents submitted by one telecom company to DoT for the allocation of spectrum, on the basis of which their (telecom firm’s) priority was to be determined, are reported to be untraceable and could not yet be traced or recovered,” CBI told Special CBI Judge O P Saini.
CBI made the submission in its reply opposing the bail plea of former Telecom Secretary Siddhartha Behura who was arrested with ex-Telecom Minister A Raja on February 2 for his alleged role in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. CBI opposed the bail plea also saying “some more documents are yet to be recovered” be them. Detailing the alleged role of Behura in the 2G scam, CBI said Raja and Behura had abused their official position as “public servants” and approved the file relating to the verification of eligibility conditions of Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd. “Raja and Behura, by abusing their official positions as public servants and thereby ignoring the serious issues raised by the concerned section for further verification of eligibility conditions of Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd, have dishonestly approved the file on January 9, 2008 for issue of Letters of Intent (LoI) for 13 telecom service areas,” CBI said.
CBI said Behura, in conspiracy with Raja’s former personal secretary R K Chandolia and others, had made arrangements for distribution of LoIs and responses of DoT in an arbitrary and unfair manner. It said Behura and others have done this in an unfair manner as the same were “neither distributed simultaneously nor on first-come-first-serve basis, but instead were distributed in a manner designed to benefit Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd and other companies”. CBI opposed the bail plea of Behura, also saying he is “an influential person” and there is every likelihood he can tamper with evidence and threaten witnesses.
The court fixed March 9 to hear arguments on Behura’s bail plea. CBI, meanwhile, sought some time from the court for filing its reply on Behura’s plea that his bank accounts, sealed by CBI, be defrozen as he needs money for his wife’s treatment. The court listed the matter for CBI’s reply on March 15. Behura is now in judicial custody till March 3.
CBI made the submission in its reply opposing the bail plea of former Telecom Secretary Siddhartha Behura who was arrested with ex-Telecom Minister A Raja on February 2 for his alleged role in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. CBI opposed the bail plea also saying “some more documents are yet to be recovered” be them. Detailing the alleged role of Behura in the 2G scam, CBI said Raja and Behura had abused their official position as “public servants” and approved the file relating to the verification of eligibility conditions of Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd. “Raja and Behura, by abusing their official positions as public servants and thereby ignoring the serious issues raised by the concerned section for further verification of eligibility conditions of Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd, have dishonestly approved the file on January 9, 2008 for issue of Letters of Intent (LoI) for 13 telecom service areas,” CBI said.
CBI said Behura, in conspiracy with Raja’s former personal secretary R K Chandolia and others, had made arrangements for distribution of LoIs and responses of DoT in an arbitrary and unfair manner. It said Behura and others have done this in an unfair manner as the same were “neither distributed simultaneously nor on first-come-first-serve basis, but instead were distributed in a manner designed to benefit Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd and other companies”. CBI opposed the bail plea of Behura, also saying he is “an influential person” and there is every likelihood he can tamper with evidence and threaten witnesses.
The court fixed March 9 to hear arguments on Behura’s bail plea. CBI, meanwhile, sought some time from the court for filing its reply on Behura’s plea that his bank accounts, sealed by CBI, be defrozen as he needs money for his wife’s treatment. The court listed the matter for CBI’s reply on March 15. Behura is now in judicial custody till March 3.
