CBI questions Maran on Aircel-Maxis deal

The CBI questioned former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran in connection with the allegations that he had received Rs 547 crore as kickbacks from a Malaysian company in the Aircel-Maxis deal. Maran was questioned last week ahead of the Joint Parliamentary Committee meet.

This was for the first time Maran was examined after the agency registered a regular case against him,his brother and Sun Direct TV Pvt Director Kalanidhi Maran,Maxis Communications chairman T Ananda Krishnan,Astro All Asia Network and Maxis senior executive Ralph Marshall and three companies Astro All Asia Networks,Sun Direct TV and Maxis Communications. The CBI also informed the JPC about the status of probe into the Aircel-Maxis deal.

Agency sources said Maran would be called again for questioning once the replies of the letter rogatory sent to Malaysia were received. During his examination,Maran is learnt to have shared information of “whatever he remembered”.

He was examined by the CBI in September 2011 after the agency registered a ‘preliminary enquiry’ into the case,but no questioning was done then.