2G: Anil Ambani washes hands off, says 'colleagues' know better

Reliance ADA Group chairman Anil Ambani, who has been summoned to depose as a witness in the 2G case, has told the CBI that questions on shell firms allegedly related to his company can be “best answered” by his colleagues as he has “full faith” in them.

Ambani’s statement said the 2G episode burned his fingers even as he maintained that he had nothing to do with Swan Telecom.

He also claimed before the CBI that Tatas had “funded” Unitech’s applications and fee for grant of 2G spectrum licences during the tenure of former telecom minister A Raja.

In a statement given to CBI on February 16, 2011, Ambani has said he “does not” admit that Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd, facing trial in the case along with its promoters, was a Reliance ADA Group company and that he has lost his “prestige” in the entire saga.

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Ambani’s statement was placed before the court yesterday. The CBI, in its chargesheet, had alleged that RADAG’s firm Reliance Telecom Ltd (RTL) had used Swan Telecom, an ineligible firm, as its front company to get licenses and the costly radio waves.

Three top executives of Reliance ADAG are facing trial in the case along with others, including Unitech Ltd MD Sanjay Chandra and Unitech Wireless ( Tamil Nadu) Ltd.

“I would like to state that in this entire process, I have not gained anything and, on the contrary, I have lost my prestige/image. I am a net loser since 2008. Market capital of Reliance Communications has come down drastically. It was vision of my father to make telecom for public,” Ambani has said in his statement.

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On being asked about the alleged shell companies and funds which purportedly came through the firms promoted by RADAG, he said, “All the paper work is done by my colleagues and these questions can be best answered by my colleagues.”

“There are millions of transactions and I cannot recollect each and every one of them. I do not admit that Swan Telecom was a Reliance ADA Group company,” he said.

The trial court, on July 19, had allowed the CBI’s plea to summon Anil Ambani, his wife Tina Ambani and 11 others as witnesses in the case.

The CBI had said that testimony of Anil Ambani and Tina Ambani may throw light on the alleged investment of over Rs 990 crore by his group companies in Swan Telecom.

It had also said that testimony of Ambanis was required to prove the facts pertaining to incorporation of alleged shell companies as “some of the witnesses examined earlier have not been able to do so.”

“Regarding the whole of above issues, I state that I did not own this company–M/s Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd,” he said.

On being questioned about his meetings with former telecom minister A Raja, the key accused in the case, Ambani said that “like my normal meetings with people, I met with A Raja also”. He said he had never met Raja while he was environment minister.

PTI