Raja amassed Rs 3,000 crore in 2G bribes: CBI, ED

Deadline switch helped Raja leverage bribes

GN Bureau | February 11, 2011



2G bribes made former telecom minister A Raja richer by Rs 3,000 crore,  says a Times of India report citing estimates from CBI and enforcement directorate investigations.

The two agencies link Raja's windfall to the shifting of the original October 21,2007 deadline for spectrum applications to September 25, 2007.

The switch eliminated many applications leaving the field open for the few that remained to bid for Raja's favour. Telcos offered the former minister bribes in exchange for undervalued spectrum.

The CBI and ED report submitted to the supreme court on Thursday does not mention these estimates. However, the agencies' report does indict major 2G beneficiaries Swan, Unitech, Videocon, Aircel, S-Tel for complicity as these companies had readied the draft for the licence fees ahead of September 25, 2007 implying that they were aware of the switch.

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