CBI grills Maxis' top executive

Maran may be quizzed soon

Ralph Marshall, CEO of Astro which invested in Sun TV and also a Board member of Malaysia-based Maxis, appeared before the agency officials for clarifying on allegations that the company was favoured by the Minister in the takeover of Aircel and in return investments were made in Sun TV owned by Maran family.

Sources in the agency said that Dayanidhi Maran may soon be questioned in the matter.
Status report

The CBI in its recent status report to the Supreme Court had said that during Maran’s tenure there was “deliberate delay” to provide letter of intent to the promoter of Aircel.
The agency had said after Aircel was sold to the Maxis Group, investments were made by the Malaysian firm into the family business of Marans.

Former aides of ex-Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran had reportedly told CBI that the processing of the files of former Aircel chief owner C Sivasankaran was delayed allegedly at the direction of the minister, sources in the agency claimed.

Several meetings

They had also told that Ralph Marshall had held a number of meetings with the telecom minister in office between 2005 and ’06 on two to three occasions, the sources claimed.

Sivasankaran had alleged that his applications for licences filed by him were rejected when Dayanidhi Maran was the telecom minister in the cabinet in 2006, forcing him to sell his company to Maxis, whose owner is considered to be close to Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanidhi, owner of Sun TV.

Later, Maran is alleged to have granted 14 licences to Dishnet Wireless (Aircel) during his tenure as the telecom minister.

However, the allegations have been refuted by Dayanidhi Maran.