Etisalat: Issues raised by CBI took place before acquisition of Swan Telecom

NEW DELHI: Emirates Telecommunication Corp, the Arab world's second-largest telecom operator by market value, on Monday said all issues 'raised by the Central Bureau of Investigation in its chargesheet in the 2G spectrum scam took place prior to its acquisition of Swan Telecom in December 2008', even as the telco expressed concerns over the 'evolving situation in India'.

Etisalat's reaction comes after the CBI last week chargesheeted its Indian JV partner Swan Telecom in the 2G spectrum scam.

In its chargesheet, the federal investigating agency said top officials of Swan conspired with former telecom minister A Raja to win mobile licenses. The chargesheet also names Swan's Shahid Balwa and Vinod Goenka, while adding that Swan was a front for Reliance Telecom, an Anil Ambani Group company when it bagged mobile permits.

"Etisalat had no involvement, whatsoever in the UAS licence application process. Etisalat always operates within the laws of the countries in which it operates and will cooperate fully with the Indian authorities, if approached," the company said in an email reply to an ET query.

The UAE based telco also added that it remained committed to India and was continuing to provide services and roll out network infrastructure.