CBI conducts raids on former top BSNL officials

The CBI on Saturday raided the premises of former BSNL chairman, three top officials and a private firm, considered close to former Telecom Minister A Raja, in connection with the Rs 535 crore scam in the awarding of contracts to WiMax services.

According to sources in the CBI, the agency has registered a fresh case against the then Chairman-cum-Managing Director of BSNL Kuldeep Goyal, Director Consumer Mobility R K Agarwal.

Kuldeep was the then General Manager Pradeep Narang and then DGM Strategic Planning Anil Kumar besides two private companies.

Sources further informed that CBI sleuths recovered incriminating documents during raids conducted at nine places in Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Chennai and Kolkata.

The investigation agency said that the senior officials of BSNL allegedly abused their position and facilitated award of Leased Service Area (LSA) contract for development of WiMax services to Starnet Communications in 2009, considered to have close links with Raja, even though it did not fulfill eligibility criteria.

The conditions stipulated that the company should have a turnover of Rs 100 crore.
“It is alleged that the said company did not have the required qualification of Rs 100 crore annual turnover for the last two years,” CBI said in a statement.

According to the CBI, the alleged irregularities caused an estimated loss of Rs 535.50 crore to BSNL.