Anil Ambani deposes in 2G scam case, says no clue about Swan

 Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani on Thursday deposed before a special court here as a prosecution witness in the 2G spectrum allocation case and said he was not aware of any company named Swan Telecom.

“I am not aware of any company called Swan Telecom,” Ambani said in a special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), presided over by Judge O P Saini, when asked by the prosecution if he knew this firm, which was allocated telecom spectrum and licence in 2008.

The main allegation of the probe agency, prompting it to call Ambani as a witness, is that Swan Telecom was a shell company of the Anil Ambani Group, ineligible for telecom spectrum and licence.

The court concluded recording Ambani’s statement over two sessions. His wife, Tina, has been called at 2 pm on Friday.

Markets reacted positively to the day’s development, with shares of Reliance Communications ending 5.67 per cent higher at Rs121.15. Among other group companies, Reliance Power ended 3.68 per cent higher, while Reliance Capital gained 6.02 per cent. While giving his statement, Ambani denied that Swan Telecom was a shell company of his group.

“It is wrong to suggest that Swan Telecom was a shell company of my group. It was wrong to suggest that it was in my knowledge that Swan had applied for UAS licence (telecom licence) for the Jammu and Kashmir service area in 2007,” Ambani said.

“I cannot recall if Reliance Telecom had made an investment to the extent of 9.9 per cent in the equity shares in Swan Telecom. I visited the CBI office in connection with this case. However, at that time, I did not hand over any note to the CBI officer.”

When asked by the judge, Ambani also said he was making his statement voluntarily and as per his own volition.

The court on Wednesday said summoning Ambani and his wife as prosecution witnesses “will not cause any prejudice to the accused facing trial in the case.”

The court last month postponed their examination. Subsequently, summons were issued to Anil and Tina Ambani on July 19, for recording their statements on August 22 and 23 respectively, based on the probe agency’s plea.

The 54-year-old Ambani, who looked relaxed and composed,  reached the court much ahead of time. Standing in the witness box in a packed room, he declined any knowledge about Swan, but said he had, indeed, met telecom ministers a number of times.

“I met Arun Shourie, Dayanidhi Maran, Pramod Mahajan, A Raja and Kapil Sibal multiple times in connection with developments in the telecom sector,” he told the court.