2G scam: Raja quizzed for second time by CBI; ED called in

New Delhi, Dec 25 (PTI) Former Telecom Minister A Raja
was on Saturday questioned for the second time in a row for
his alleged involvement in allocation of 2G spectrum in
2007-08 even as the agency roped in Enforcement Directorate
officials in the case.
A Letters Rogatory (LR) would also be sent to as many as
three countries including Singapore by the CBI to know about
the financial trail in the 2G scam as the agency has alleged
that some of the kins of the former minister were associated
with the case.
Raja arrived at CBI headquarters early Saturday morning
and was questioned on the issue of advancing dates for
allocation of spectrum and on the role of his relatives in
some of the companies which allegedly acted as a front for
certain telecom firms which were alloted spectrum between
September 2007 and January 2008, official sources said.
They said that Raja was asked to clarify some contents in
certain documents, seized by the agency during its raids on
Department of Telecom offices in October last year after
registering a case against unknown officers of DoT and telecom
companies.
Saturday's questioning by CBI sleuths also focused on the
tapped conversation of Raja with corporate lobbyist Niira
Radia.
Raja left CBI office around 3.45 pm after the
questioning. He refused to make any comments.
47-year-old Raja's questioning came days after his
residences here and in Tamil Nadu were searched by the CBI
officials.
While Raja, a DMK MP from Nilgris, was allowed to go
home on Saturday, sources in the agency said that he would be
called again during which he would be confronted with some
more questions and documents recovered from the computers
seized during the raids conducted by the agency earlier.
Raja had flown in from Chennai on Wednesday after
receiving a summon under Section 160 of the Criminal Procedure
Code (CrPC).
Raja was forced to resign on November 14 in the wake of
the CAG report which held that the spectrum allocation at
undervalued prices resulted in a notional loss of Rs 1.76 lakh
crore to the exchequer.
Raja got the telecom portfolio on May 18, 2007 and again
got re-elected as a Member of the 15th Lok Sabha and continued
as Telecom Minister from May 31, 2009 till November 14, this
year before he tendered his resignation.
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has in its report
also pointed out certain irregularities in the allocation of
spectrum. PTI