Aircel-Maxis Case: Delhi Court Issues Fresh Summons to Maxis & Former Director in FIPB Clearance Probe

In one of India's most high-profile and long-running cases, the Aircel-Maxis case, a special court in Delhi has issued fresh summons to Malaysian telecom giant Maxis Communications Berhad and its former director, Augustus Ralph Marshall. The summons, issued at the request of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), pertain to alleged irregularities in the grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance for Maxis's acquisition of Aircel in 2006.

Aircel-Maxis Case: Fresh Summons Issued to Maxis

The court has also approved the CBI's request to summon Astro All Asia Network, another Malaysian firm linked to the case. The agency has sought a period of three months to serve these summons in Malaysia, reflecting the complexities involved in executing legal cooperation across international jurisdictions.

Focus on Chidambaram's Role in FIPB Approval

At the heart of the CBI's investigation are allegations implicating former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in granting undue FIPB clearance for the Aircel-Maxis deal. According to the agency, the proposal submitted by Global Communication Services Holdings Ltd-a Maxis subsidiary based in Mauritius-sought to increase its foreign equity stake in Aircel from 26% to 73.99%, with a declared investment of $800 million (approximately Rs 3,560 crore).

However, the CBI contends that only Rs 180 crore was actually reported as foreign inflow, a discrepancy that allegedly helped the proposal remain within the Rs 600 crore threshold under the finance minister's purview. This maneuver, the agency claims, circumvented mandatory approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

Moreover, investigators allege that P. Chidambaram and his son, Karti Chidambaram, derived illicit gains through companies associated with Karti, suggesting a quid pro quo behind the FIPB nod.

Alleged Bribe Trail and Shell Entities; CBI Probes Rs 1.13 Crore Linked to Karti Chidambaram

According to the CBI, between March 2007 and January 2012, two companies-Chess Management Services Pvt Ltd and Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt Ltd-received suspicious payments totaling Rs 1.13 crore from firms linked to Maxis. These transactions, allegedly routed under the guise of consultancy and electronic legal compliance services, are now being scrutinized as part of a larger probe into corruption and money laundering.

Both entities are said to have close connections to Karti Chidambaram. The agency suspects the payments were, in reality, bribes masked as professional service fees.

Aircel-Maxis Case: Legal History and Political Context

The case has seen several twists over the years. In February 2017, a special court dismissed charges against former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran. The CBI challenged the decision in the Delhi High Court via a revision petition, which remains pending.

As for P. Chidambaram, a charge sheet was filed against him and others on July 19, 2018, and is still under consideration by the special court. The senior Congress leader has largely refrained from public commentary on the matter. In a 2018 statement posted on social media platform 'X' (formerly Twitter), Chidambaram defended his actions, asserting that FIPB recommendations guided all approvals, including the Aircel deal, which he claimed was one among 20 such clearances granted that day.