New Delhi, May 13: A team of CBI officers would be leaving for Mauritius next week to track the trail of money invested in various telecom companies involved in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, CBI told the Supreme Court today. Senior advocate K K Venugopal appearing for the investigating agency said the team would be leaving on May 16 and will file its report before the court on the investigation done by it.
A bench of justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly directed the agency to file its report on the probe into the money trail by May 31 and posted the matter for further hearing on July 6.
The bench also directed the CBI to expedite its enquiry against a journalist who had allegedly tried to bribe an Enforcement Directorate official who was inquiring into 2G scam.
Venugopal also informed the court that teams of ED officals would also be going to five foreign countries in tracking the money trail involved in 2G scam. The bench also wanted to know from him about the progress into the probe based on the status report filed by the CBI relating to 10 destinations abroad. “Some team is going to Mauritus on May 16. Is there a a plan for the CBI team to go to any other destination?” the bench asked.
“It is an untiring crusade,” the bench said when advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for and NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), said top people from the telecom companies allegedly involved in the scam should be charge sheeted.
“How can they (CBI) wash its hand. All people right to the top should be charge sheeted,” he said. The bench also said that arguments of the petitioner NGO seeking appointment of committee to assist the court in monitoring the case required serious consideration. The CBI also placed before the bench its probe report on journalist Upendra Rai against whom a complaint was filed by ED official for allegedly trying to bribe him. The bench after going through the report said that findings were “quite serious” and directed the agency to expedite the inquiry against him.
The court asked the agency to submit its report on July 6.
The apex court had earlier agreed to look into the issue of Rai, director (News) Sahara News Network, over allegations that he had tried to bribe one of the ED officers by offering to give him Rs.two crore to benefit corporate lobbyist Niira Radia. PTI
