CBI gets Centre's nod to hire experts in Aircel-Maxis case

NEW DELHI: CBI has received "financial sanction" from the centre to hire private financial experts to carry out evaluation of some investments in connection with the Aircel-Maxis deal probe.

CBI sources said the agency had recently received sanction for funds required to hire the experts to complete the probe in remaining aspects of the case.

The agency, which has almost concluded the probe in Aircel-Maxis deal in which former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran has been named as one of the accused in the FIR, had informed the Supreme Court that it had approached the Centre seeking sanction of funds to investigate few remaining points.

The allegations of corruption and other irregularities have been denied by Dayanidhi Maran. The agency had sought information from Malaysian authorities through Letters Rogatory but it did not get satisfactory details, after which the judicial requests were sent again.

The sources, however, said they had enough information on the basis of which they could file the charge sheet.

Along with Dayanidhi, the agency had also booked his brother Kalanithi Maran, Maxis owner T Ananda Krishnan, senior executive Ralph Marshall and three companies Aspro, Maxis and Sun TV in the case on charges of criminal conspiracy under IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act.

It was alleged by former Aircel Chief C Sivasankaran that Maran had as the then Telecom Minister favoured Maxis-group in the takeover of his company and in return investments were made by the company through Astro network in Sun TV owned by the Maran family.

CBI had told the Supreme Court that during Maran's tenure there was "deliberate delay" in providing letter of intent to Sivasankaran.