The Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)on Thursday said they have been vindicated after a special court acquitteda former telecom minister, politicians and several business executives of graft and money laundering charges in the grant of 2G telecom licences.
“Allegation of a major scam involving the highest levels of Government was never true, was not correct and that has been established today” said Congress leader P Chidambaram, who was finance minister in the United Progressive Alliance government under whose watch the alleged scam took place.
“It is now proven that the case was only politically motivated to malign one party. It is also no proven that everyone they accused of huge graft innocent,” said M K Stalin, working president of DMK, which was an ally in the UPA government. DMK leader A Raja was the telecom minister in the UPA government when the alleged scam took place, and he was among the people who was acquitted by special judge O P Saini for lack of evidence.
“Victory begins now–with political motives, this case was put in us. Conspiracies were hatched against us but all have been blown away now,” said Durai Murugan, a senior leader of the DMK.
The case relates to alleged below-market-price sale of lucrative telecoms permits bundled with airwaves in 2008, which the national auditor said may have cost the government as much as $28 billion in lost revenue.