A day after the CBI dropped a bombshell in the Supreme Court, disclosing that a politically and financially influential person in Malaysia was hampering the probe in that country of the Aircel-Maxis deal, highly placed sources in the investigating agency on Thursday admitted this would have a significant impact on the probe in India as well, particularly as far as the money trail is concerned.
“The agency's probe has clearly established that Dayanidhi Maran, the then communications minister, had awarded spectrum licences to Aircel only after Maxis bought it. In return, Maran reportedly received Rs 547 crore as quid pro quo investment in Sun Direct TV from a Malaysian firm through its subsidiary,“ sources said.
Even though there are reports that some government agencies in Malaysia might have some stake in the Maxis group, which is being probed, prima facie it seems the money to Sun TV was routed by Maxis in return for helping clinch the Aircel deal.
A Supreme Court's bench comprising Justices G.S. Singhvi and K.S. Radhakrishnan had observed on on Wednesday that prima facie there seemed to be a nexus in the Aircel-Maxis deal involving Dayanidhi Maran and a Malaysian business tycoon.
CBI sources say that if investigations in Malaysia are not conducted properly, the money trail will not be established. Money for the Aircel-Maxis deal and the investment of Rs 547 crore in Sun TV came through a complex web of front companies operating out of Mauritius and Malaysia.
Sources in CBI also admitted there was a deliberate attempt by Malaysian authorities to stonewall investigations in an attempt to protect the other direct and indirect beneficiaries of the deal, including the Marans.
Senior CBI officials said every attempt is being made by some influential people in Malaysia to see this particular case closed, and that they are trying to ensure that the CBI is unable to establish the quid pro quo.