Aircel-Maxis corruption case: Fresh summons issued to Malaysian telecom giant Maxis

New Delhi, Sep 21 (PTI) A special court here has issued fresh summons to Malaysian telecom giant Maxis and its former director Augustus Ralph Marshall on the CBI's request in connection with FIPB clearance granted to its subsidiary during the tenure of former finance minister P Chidambaram for the takeover of Aircel in 2006, officials said.

The agency has also requested the issuance of a summons to the Malaysian company Astro All Asia Network in connection with the case, which has also been cleared by the special court, they said.

The CBI has sought three months from the court to serve the summons in Malaysia, they said.

The probe agency had filed its first chargesheet against former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran and some others on August 29, 2014, but they were discharged by a special court on February 2, 2017. The discharge has been challenged by the CBI in the Delhi High Court through a revision petition.

The agency filed another charge sheet on July 19, 2018, against Chidambaram and others, which is still before the special court. Chidambaram has refrained from making any public comment on the issue.

"CBI has already filed a Chargesheet in the Aircel-Maxis case. ED has now filed a Complaint in the same case. If and when summons is issued by the Honourable Court, the cases will be contested. I will not make any other public comment," he had said in 2018 on 'X'.

In another message on 'X' in 2018, when the contents of the CBI chargesheet were reported in the media, he had said, "It is the FIPB that decides if a proposal falls within the competence of the FM. FIPB put up the proposal to me and I approved it along with 20 other proposals." The case pertains to FIPB clearance granted to Global Communication Services Holdings Limited, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Maxis based in Mauritius, in 2006 when Chidambaram was the Union finance minister.

The company had moved the proposal to enhance its direct or indirect share of foreign shareholdings from 26 per cent to 73.99 per cent in the equity shares in Aircel Ltd for USD 800 million (Rs 3,560 crore).

Global Communication went on to acquire 73.99 per cent equity share in Aircel Limited and an economic interest of 99.3 per cent in the company, the CBI has said.

The agency has alleged that Chidambaram and the accused officials of the FIPB had approved the proposal by showing the actual inflow of FDI in Indian rupees to be at Rs 180 crore, though the proposal was actually to the tune of Rs 3,560 crores (USD 800 million).

It was done to keep the proposal under the competence of Chidambaram, as he, being the then finance minister, had powers to approve total investments of up to Rs 600 crore, the CBI has alleged.

It said proposals beyond Rs 600 crore required the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

The agency has alleged that Chidambaram and his son Karti P. Chidambaram, now a Lok Sabha MP, received quid pro quo through companies linked to the latter -- Chess Management Services Private Limited and Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited -- from the associate companies of Maxis in the garb of providing electronic legal compliance management (eLCM) services and management consultancy during March 29, 2007 to January 27, 2012.

A bribe of Rs 26 lakh and Rs 87 lakh was taken through the two companies, the agency has alleged. PTI ABS RT RT