ED urges Mauritius to expedite reply in 2G spectrum scam

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday sent a fresh reminder to the authorities concerned in Mauritius for early execution of its pending judicial request pertaining to the 2G spectrum scam case.

Sources in the ED said, “The agency has almost completed its domestic investigations related to the 2G scam. Now, the ED is waiting for the replies of its pending judicial requests, especially from Mauritius, for filing supplementary chargesheet in the case”. The agency recently sent a fresh reminder to the authorities for early execution of its judicial request or Letter Rogatory (LR) through the Indian high commission, they added.

The ED had registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in March, 2010, against unknown officials of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and representatives of certain private companies in connection with the award of new telecom licenses in 2008. The LR is a formal request issued to a foreign court and processed by the MEA on behalf of the investigative agencies to obtain information about individuals and entities.

The agency in 2011 had sent LRs to 10 countries including Russia, UAE, Isle of Man, Cyprus, Mauritius, Norway, Singapore and Libya for getting information about certain firms based there. The CBI probe has revealed that certain telecom companies, who were in the race of 2G allotment, indulged in irregular transfer of funds in several countries including Mauritius and British Virgin Islands, they added. The Mauritius-based firms under the CBI scanner include, Etisalat Mauritius Limited, Delphi Investment Limited, Apex Fund Services Limited, etc.