A money-laundering case has been registered against the former Union Minister, Dayanidhi Maran, and his brother and Sun TV managing director Kalanidhi Maran by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
The case, registered on Tuesday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), pertains to an alleged illegal gratification of about Rs. 550 crore received by the Maran brothers in the Aircel-Maxis deal.
Mr. Dayanidhi Maran resigned from the Cabinet last year after allegations surfaced that he favoured Malaysian firm Maxis in the grant of telecom licences in 2004-05.
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Mr. Maran, however, denied the allegations.
The CBI is probing Mr. Kalanidhi Maran too in connection with these charges.
The ED is also investigating the alleged contravention of foreign exchange rules in the Aircel-Maxis deal, as it registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), which is equivalent to FIR (First Information Report).
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The ED has registered another case in the 2G scam that pertains to the NDA regime. It has named the former Telecom Secretary, Shyamal Ghosh, the former Deputy Director-General in the Telecom Ministry, J.R. Gupta, and a few telecom companies for alleged irregularities in the grant of additional 2G spectrum in 2001-03.
The ED will now record the statements of the individuals named in the ECIR.