Aircel-Maxis corruption case: Fresh summons issued to Malaysian telecom giant Maxis

New Delhi: A special court in Delhi has issued fresh summons to Malaysian telecom giant Maxis and its former director Augustus Ralph Marshall, following a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) request, in connection with the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance granted to its subsidiary for Aircel’s takeover in 2006, officials said.

The agency has also requested summons for Malaysian company Astro All Asia Network, which has been cleared by the special court. The CBI has sought three months from the court to serve these summons in Malaysia.

The case traces back to alleged irregularities in the FIPB approval granted to Global Communication Services Holdings Ltd, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Maxis based in Mauritius, to raise its stake in Aircel Ltd from 26 per cent to 73.99 per cent for $800 million (Rs 3,560 crore). The CBI alleges that officials, including then-Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, manipulated the reported FDI inflow as Rs 180 crore to keep it within Chidambaram’s approval limit of Rs 600 crore, bypassing Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) clearance.

Earlier, the CBI had filed its first chargesheet on August 29, 2014, against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and others. Summons to Malaysia-based accused could not be served despite repeated attempts by the Indian High Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs. In 2015, Senior Public Prosecutor K.K. Goel informed the special CBI court that efforts to serve summons thrice had failed. The court had subsequently issued summons, but Maran and others were discharged in February 2017—a decision now challenged by the CBI in the Delhi High Court.

The CBI filed another chargesheet on July 19, 2018, against Chidambaram and others, which remains under consideration by the special court. Chidambaram has refrained from public comment on the matter, stating in 2018 that “the FIPB decides if a proposal falls within the competence of the Finance Minister” and that he had approved the Aircel proposal along with 20 others.

The agency has also alleged that Chidambaram and his son Karti P Chidambaram received quid pro quo through companies linked to the latter—Chess Management Services Pvt Ltd and Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt Ltd—from Maxis associate companies between March 2007 and January 2012.

The alleged bribes amounted to Rs 26 lakh and Rs 87 lakh via consultancy and electronic legal compliance management services. The fresh summons aim to advance proceedings against Maxis and other Malaysian entities, underscoring ongoing international cooperation challenges in high-profile financial cases. Agencies