Dayanidhi Maran quizzed by CBI in Aircel-Maxis deal case

Former Union telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran has been questioned by the CBI in connection with the allegations that he had received Rs 547 crore as kickbacks from a Malaysian company in the controversial Aircel-Maxis deal.

CBI sources said Maran was questioned earlier in July, the first time after the agency had registered a regular case against him, his brother Kalanithi Maran, Sun Direct TV Pvt director, chairman of Maxis Communication T Ananda Krishnan, senior executive of Astro All Asia Network and Maxis Ralph Marshall and three companies Astro All Asia Networks, Sun Direct TV and Maxis Communications on charges of complicity.

Maran's statement was recorded. He shared information of whatever he could remember with the CBI, sources said. Maran was earlier examined by the CBI in September 2011 when the agency had registered a preliminary inquiry into the case but no questioning or recording of statement was done at that point.

The CBI had also carried out searches at his residence and nine other locations after registering a case against him in 2011 in connection with the controversial Aircel-Maxis deal.

It was alleged by former Aircel chief C Sivasankaran that Maran as the then telecom minister favoured the 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.

The CBI claimed quid-pro-quo on part of the then telecom minister has been established during the probe. It has also been proved during the CBI probe that there is direct evidence that files of Sivasankaran were deliberately delayed, sources said.

"The CBI has registered case against Maran brothers, Ralph Marshall and T Anandkrishnan and three companies under Section 120b of IPC (criminal conspiracy) read with 13(2) with 13 (1)(d) and also Section 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. A case was registered on October 9. Searches were conducted at Delhi and Chennai," a CBI spokesperson said after registering the case in 2011.