Reliance expresses shock at news of phone tapping

Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd, on Friday has expressed shock over news report that his phones and those of other company officials were being tapped by a rival company. The reported phone tapping took place for five years between 2001 and 2006.

“We are shocked at reports which suggest that we have been victims of unauthorised and illegal tapping of our telephones,” a RIL spokesperson said in a statement.

The news report also claimed that alleged phone tapping reveals claims of payoffs and bribes given to government officials and of how businessmen seek favours from politicians.

However, the RIL statement said that conversations attributed to them were false and appear to have been doctored by someone who had sought to defame them.

“We have, at all times, abided by the law of the land both, in letter and in spirit, in all our actions and business activities and any suggestion of any wrongdoing is plainly false. The reports are unfortunate as they make allegations without accepting any responsibility for the veracity of the contents. We reserve our legal rights to act against this kind of sensationalism. We expect the authorities to take a serious view of these alleged violations of our right to privacy if indeed there has been any illegal wire tapping. We also expect the authorities to verify the truth of these allegations and take action against these malicious falsehoods. We will render full co-operation to any authority in ascertaining the truth,” the RIL statement said.