Telecom scam: Who is the real Natwar?

One of the companies under the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) scanner, which is probing the  alleged 2G spectrum scam, has also figured in an earlier complaint to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) filed in February this year.

The CVC received a complaint this year against the Telecom Minister, and the officials of the Telecommunications Ministry who were involved in the decision of giving telecom license to Reliance Communication on 18 October 2007 and to other companies on 10 January 2008 under the first cum first serve policy.

The complainant, which details the role of Swan Telecom Ltd, alleged that the licenses were given at a price that was much below the market price. He even alleged that the difference amount was shared between the people involved. Apart from the fact that the telecom licenses were given at lower prices, the most important  piece of information that the complainant has revealed is “who owned Swan Telecom and who actually benefited from the sale of those licenses to other companies at a higher market price later.”

Meanwhile, the current investigations by the CBI has resulted into allegations of corruption by various political parties. While the Prime Minister has backed the Union Telecom Minister Andimuthu Raja, the BJP has demanded his resignation for his role in the scam, which runs into thousands of crores.

Raja, on the other hand, has accused the NDA government of being involved in a Rs 160,000 crore spectrum scam by distributing free spectrum to operators.

The entire controversy erupted after the CBI initiated a probe on the request of the CVC. The CVC requested for a comprehensive probe as it found that spectrum was not allocated at the market price and no auction process was followed.

Click here to read the complaint filed with the CVC regarding the telecom scam…