Swamy slams Sibal's remarks on CAG projection of 2G loss

NEW DELHI: Terming as "highly objectionable" Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal's remarks on CAG's projection of the loss in 2G spectrum allocation, Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy today alleged that it was an attempt to influence investigations into the scam.

Swamy said the court should take suo motu notice of the contempt of court committed by the Minister, who made statements about the case when the Supreme Court had passed an order directing the CBI to report to it.

The statement made by Sibal seeking to rubbish the CAG report on 2G scam was not only "highly objectionable" but also is a contempt of the Supreme Court, he said.

"Sibal's ill-informed criticism of CAG report, perhaps on the direction from beneficiaries of the corrupt 2G deal, is tantamount to influence the court of investigation carried out by the CBI," Swamy, a petitioner in the 2G spectrum scam, said in a statement here.

He said he was moving an "interlocutory-application" in the Supreme Court seeking to restrain Sibal from any further dealing with the files connected with 2G and as also for suo motu notice to be taken of Sibal's contempt of court.

In an unusually strident criticism of the government auditor, Sibal yesterday slammed the CAG for its projection of Rs 1.76 lakh crore as presumptive loss on account of 2G spectrum allocation, terming its methodology as "utterly erroneous."

He said there was "no loss at all" to the exchequer due to allocation of licences and 2G spectrum in 2008.