Nira Radia gets fresh Enforcement Directorate notices

After A Raja, investigating agencies have trained their guns on corporate lobbyist Nira Radia.

Radia, who has been dodging the agencies for long, was issued fresh notices by the enforcement directorate (ED) on Monday for alleged involvement in the 2G spectrum scam.

The British passport-holder was earlier issued summons on two occasions but did not appear before ED, forcing it to issue a third notice on Monday. Failure to appear personally this time may result in ED taking a stern step, sources said.

Radia had strongly lobbied for Raja to be made telecom minister in the UPA-II government in June 2009.

Sources said the Union finance ministry has asked ED director Arun Mathur to expedite investigation against the PR consultant.

Last week, Radia had furnished details sought by ED. The details included cash flow statements of her four companies from 2005 and personal and company bank transactions. But sources said ED was not convinced.
Radia’s aide Rohit Dubey of Vaishnavi Corporate Communications said, “We have submitted all documents asked by ED. We are not aware of any fresh notice.”

Meanwhile, Central Bureau of Investigation has not been able to get a laboratory report of a recorded conversation between Radia and Raja.
Radia and aides’ connections with high-profile people in the telecom sector and Raja came to light after the income-tax department put their phones under surveillance for 120 days in 2008 and 180 days in 2009.