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Ananda, director summoned to appear before Indian authorities

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The Indian Home Ministry will serve the summons on the duo through the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.

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KUALA LUMPUR:
Business tycoon T. Ananda Krishnan, and former Maxis director Ralph Marshall, have been summoned by India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) to appear before it in the second week of November, according to the Economic Times (ET). “This is the first time the ED, which probes money laundering, is asking the Maxis promoter to appear before it”.

“The latest request is being sent with more evidence. We hope that the Malaysian authorities will cooperate,” the Indian business publication quoted a senior Indian Home Ministry official as saying.

Earlier, an Indian Court issued a letter rogatory to a court in Malaysia, seeking assistance in getting Ananda to testify in India, but to no avail. “Both ED and CBI have named Ananda in their charge sheets in the case”.

Marshall was originally scheduled to appear before the ED in January but Malaysian authorities had some queries for India on the matter.

The summons for the duo come under the mutual legal assistance treaty which India signed with Malaysia in 2012. The Indian Home Ministry, which is responsible for the treaty, will serve the summons through the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.

The appearance of Ananda who owns Maxis, and Marshall, is related to alleged irregularities which stem from a 2006 Aircel-Maxis deal. Ananda bought a 74 per cent stake in Aircel and took over the company.

C. Sivasankaran, the previous owner of Aircel, cried foul on the deal in a report lodged with India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2011.

The thrust of his complaint was that the telecom minister in 2006, Dayanidhi Maran, had “arm-twisted” him into selling his stake in Aircel to Maxis. Maran is facing charges of influencing the deal and financially gaining from it.

The facts on the case, compiled by the CBI for its charge sheets, shows that the then Finance Minister approved Mauritius-based Global Communication Services Holdings’ investment of USD800 million in India. The amount exceeded the approved limit, set by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), by USD200 million. Besides, the then Finance Minister by-passed the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

Last year, the CBI attached assets worth Rs742.58 crore (1 crore = USD149, 000) held by Maran, his brother Kalanithi and wife Kaveri. The ED has also intensified investigations on the case.

The Rs742.58 crore, according to ED, was allegedly invested by Mauritius-based companies in Sun Direct TV and South Asia FM, two companies owned by the Maran family.

See also:

Aircel-Maxis deal: ED summons Maxis promoter T Ananda Krishnan to appear in November

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