ED's 2G case: Raja, Kani, Dayalu Ammal to appear in court

Former Telecom Minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and party supremo M Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal along with 16 other accused are likely to appear tomorrow before a special court in the 2G scam-related money laundering case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate.

These 19 accused -- 10 individuals and nine firms -- are scheduled to appear before Special CBI Judge OP Saini, who had on May 2 taken cognisance of the ED's charge-sheet filed against them in the case.

The court had issued summons to all the accused, asking them to appear before it on May 26 and holding that there was "enough incriminating material" on record to proceed against them.

ED had filed its charge-sheet against the 19 accused in the money laundering case on April 25. Besides Raja, Kanimozhi and Dayalu Ammal, ED also named promoters of Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd (STPL), Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, as accused in the case.

Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd, Asif Balwa and Rajiv Aggarwal, Bollywood producer Karim Morani, P Amirtham and Kalaignar TV Managing Director Sharad Kumar have also been named as accused in the case.

ED has also named STPL, Kusegaon Realty Pvt Ltd (formerly known as Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd), Cineyug Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd (formerly known as Cineyug Films Pvt Ltd), Kalaignar TV Pvt Ltd, Dynamix Realty, Eversmile Construction Company Pvt Ltd, Conwood Constructions and Developers (P) Ltd, DB Realty Ltd and Nihar Constructions Pvt Ltd as accused in the case.

ED had earlier told the court that their probe into the case emanates from the 2G scam and these accused had allegedly conspired and committed the scheduled offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The agency had claimed that the transaction of Rs 200 crore, which was allegedly paid to DMK-run Kalaignar TV, was "not genuine" and it was a "bribe for grant of telecom licences to DB Group companies". 

ED also alleged that being the then telecom minister, Raja had the principal role in the allotment of 2G licences and he had "assisted" in the offence of money laundering.

It said that Dayalu Ammal was holding 60 per cent shares in Kalaignar TV whereas co-accused Kanimozhi and Sharad Kumar had a stake of 20 per cent each. ED also alleged there was a "reverse trail" of money from Kalaignar TV to Dynamix Realty through Cineyug Films Pvt Ltd (CFPL) and Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd (KFVPL).

It claimed that the accused had attempted to show that these transactions were genuine although, surprisingly, the reverse trail of money started when Raja was called by CBI for questioning in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation case.

In its charge-sheet, ED had said that its investigation has revealed that the amount of Rs 200 crore was paid to Kalaignar TV by STPL in the "garb of legitimate financial transactions i.e. as loan/share application money".

Raja, Kanimozhi, Shahid Balwa, Vinod Goenka, Asif Balwa, Rajiv Aggarwal, Karim Morani and Sharad Kumar are also facing trial in the 2G scam case in which the CBI had earlier filed its charge-sheets.