Unitech Group firms knowingly misrepresented facts: CBI

NEW DELHI : The CBI today claimed in a special court that Unitech Group firms had knowingly and fraudulently misrepresented facts in their applications before the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for bagging 2G spectrum licences.
During final arguments in 2G spectrum allocation case, special public prosecutor Anand Grover said these firms were ineligible and had made false representations before the DoT to get the radiowaves.
“The Unitech Group firms had knowingly and fraudulently misrepresented facts in their application forms,” he told Special CBI Judge O P Saini.
Grover argued that these firms had realty in their object clause and had not amended it before applying for the telecom spectrum licences. He alleged that some crucial facts were concealed from DoT by them so that their applications are not rejected.
According to the CBI, Unitech Ltd Managing Director Sanjay Chandra, an accused in the case, had allegedly conspired with others to get the 2G licences.
The agency had earlier alleged that eight Unitech Group firms were used to apply for 2G licences and after it was granted the radiowaves, they had subsquently merged into the accused firm, Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Pvt Ltd.
Chandra and Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Pvt Ltd have denied the allegations levelled against them by CBI.
The final arguments today remained inconclusive and would continue tomorrow.
Grover had yesterday claimed in the court that former Telecom Minister A Raja had told DoT that accused firm Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd (STPL) was eligible for grant of 2G spectrum, even though its officials had initially expressed apprehension about its eligibility.
Besides Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi, former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja’s erstwhile private secretary R K Chandolia, Sanjay Chandra, STPL promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka and three top executives of Reliance ADAG – Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair – are facing trial in the case.
Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, Kalaignar TV Director Sharad Kumar and Bollywood producer Karim Morani are also accused in the case, besides three telecom companies — Reliance Telecom Ltd, STPL and Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Ltd.
In its charge sheet, CBI had alleged a loss of Rs 30,984 crore to the exchequer in allocation of 122 licences for 2G spectrum, which was scrapped by the Supreme Court on February 2, 2012.
All the accused have denied the allegations levelled against them by CBI. (PTI)