ED launches a global hunt for 2G bribes

New Delhi: The CAG started the 2G fire and the Supreme Court is stepping on the gas. It looks like the ED is zeroing in on the 2G beneficiaries nested in tax havens.

CNN-IBN has accessed Letters Rogatory sent by the Enforcement Directorate to find out the real beneficiaries in the 2G scam.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ticked off the government for giving 2G licenses to sTeL despite a home ministry red flag. And the scale of the operations gets bigger with bigger brands.

The Letter Rogatory or letter of requests issued on January 31 says in Cyprus alone the ED is probing the link of 22 group companies of Unitech.

One giveaway - all these 22 companies are listed at same address - 77, Strovolos Avenue in Strovolus, Nicosia. That's the address at which Unitech's shell companies are listed.

And in what is the first clinching evidence, the Letter Rogatory says Unitech made several interlinked financial transactions to camouflage the real beneficiaries. The group through a web of companies and maze of transactions appear to have layered the tainted money with the intent to launder it.

The Enforcement Directorate for the first time says Unitech got its licences at well below the market price because of a criminal conspiracy it entered into with public servants concerned by paying huge amounts of money as bribes.

ED has also sent Letters Rogatory with regards to Unitech's operations in Tripoli in Libya, Dubai, Norway, British Virgin Islands, Jersey and Singapore.

Idea Cellular's has two companies but with the same address in Mauritius. Sistema Shayam's has one company under scrutiny in Moscow.

Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry has denied giving instructions to the ED to scuttle or go slow in the 2G probe. The denial was issued following reports about a letter written by an anonymous whistle-blower from the ED to the Supreme Court.

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