MUNI THE BOSS

Former Telecom Minister A Raja on Friday appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation for questioning in the Rs 22,000 crore 2G spectrum scam, over a year after the agency registered a case in this connection.



47-year-old Raja appeared before the agency at 10.30 this morning after he was summoned by the CBI under Section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code.



Raja, who had earlier expressed his inability to appear before the agency, is likely to be questioned at length on the circumstances leading to the allocation of spectrum which has been criticised severely by the Central Vigilance Commission and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).


....Raja got the telecom portfolio on May 18, 2007 and was re-elected as a Member of the 15th Lok Sabha and continued as Telecom Minister from May 31, 2009 till November 14 this year when he tendered his resignation.



The former minister, who flew to Delhi on Wednesday night from Chennai, had told reporters that he would cooperate with the CBI in the probe.



The Supreme Court has asked the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate to submit status reports on their investigations into the 2G case to it by February 10, when the case will come up for further hearing.



... contd.

Raja was forced to resign last month in the wake of a controversy over his role in the spectrum allocation.



He is likely to be 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 got spectrum between September 2007 and January 2008.