Friday, August 23, 2013

“I’m not aware of any company called Swan Telecom,” Ambani

Anil Ambani today appeared as a prosecution witness before a Delhi court trying the 2G spectrum case and said he does not “recall” the various board meetings of a company, said to be an associate of RADAG, as the minutes were “not prepared” by him.

“I’m not aware of any company called Swan Telecom,” Ambani replied in the special court of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), presided over by Judge O.P. Saini, when asked by the prosecution if he knew this firm that was given telecom spectrum and licence in 2008.

CBI  call Ambani as a witness, is that Swan Telecom was a shell company of the Anil Ambani Group, ineligible for telecom spectrum and licence — a matter that has been strongly denied by the defence.

Getting no relief from the Supreme Court to avoid appearing as a CBI witness, Ambani took the witness stand for the first time and said he does not recall about each and every meeting of AAA Consultancy Services (P) Ltd when Special Public Prosecutor U U Lalit showed him the minutes of meetings the firm held in 2005-06.

“I attend a large number of meetings and I do not recall. I am going by the records only,” he told Special CBI Judge O P Saini.

To this, the judge told Ambani that although he does not recall about these meetings, in which he was present, the records must not be false. “But you do not maintain false records. Your record must be correct,” the judge asked Ambani.

“The records should be correct,” Ambani said in response to the judge’s query.

“Sir I want to take a call. One I do not recall now. Second, minutes are not prepared by me. It is prepared by the secretarial staff. I do not recall and I do not prepare the minutes,” Ambani said.

As soon as the recording of evidence began, Lalit asked Ambani about the board meetings of AAA Consultancy Services (P) Ltd held from January 2005. Ambani’s examination-in-chief by the prosecution will continue.

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