New Delhi: The CBI on Wednesday arrested former telecom minister A Raja in the 2G Spectrum case along with former telecom secretary Siddharth Behuria and Raja's personal secretary RK Chandolia.
Raja has been charged with criminal misconduct, violation of policies and favouring some specific companies during the granting of 2G spectrum licences.Ahead of the 2G case coming up for hearing in the Supreme Court next week, Raja was quizzed by investigating agency for the fourth time on Wednesday at the CBI headquarters in Delhi.
Raja has been charged with criminal misconduct, violation of policies and favouring some specific companies during the granting of 2G spectrum licences.Ahead of the 2G case coming up for hearing in the Supreme Court next week, Raja was quizzed by investigating agency for the fourth time on Wednesday at the CBI headquarters in Delhi.
Raja has been arrested just two days after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK supremo M Karunanidhi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
CBI sleuths, who had on Monday questioned Raja for the third time, had quizzed him about the role of some of his kin in a few offshoot companies of these telecom firms besides the flow of funds.
The CBI on Tuesday quizzed Raja's brother and a close associate in connection with the Rs 22,000 crore 2G spectrum scam.
Official sources said Raja's brother - A Kaliya Perumal was questioned for over seven hours at the agency's headquarters.
They said a close associate of Raja was also questioned.
Though officials were tight-lipped about the line of questioning, sources said, Perumal was questioned on certain financial transactions and his dealings with certain firms.
Interestingly, CBI sleuths, who had on Monday questioned Raja for the third time, had quizzed him about the role of some of his kin in a few offshoot companies of these telecom firms besides the flow of funds.
Raja was forced to resign on November 14 last year 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 state exchequer.
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, 2010 before he tendered his resignation.
The Supreme Court has asked CBI and Enforcement Directorate to submit status reports on their investigations into the 2G spectrum case to it by February 10 when the case will come up for further hearing.
In its FIR, CBI mentioned the loss as Rs 22,000 crore bas