Not under pressure to be witness: Raja's ex-aide

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Aseervartham Achary, ex-aide of jailed former communications minister A. Raja, on Tuesday told a special court hearing the 2G scam that he was not under any threat to support the CBI case and claimed his boss once told him that he was visiting DMK MP Kanimozhi's house here.

"It is wrong to suggest that the CBI needed my evidence on some aspects of this case and under threat of being involved in the case, I agreed to become a false witness to support the prosecution version," Achary replied during the cross examination by counsel for co-accused former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura.

Testifying as a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) witness, Achary told Special Judge O.P. Saini that he had never seen Raja visiting Kanimozhi's residence on South Avenue in central Delhi.

Achary said: "Raja himself told me that he was visiting the house of Kanimozhi and need not be disturbed. I did not reveal this fact to the CBI."

Raja used to visit his party leaders, including DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, at their houses in Chennai or in Delhi, while they were here, added Achary.

The witness refuted the suggestion made by R.N. Mittal, counsel for co-accused and DB Realty's Shahid Usman Balwa, that he had improved his statement by including Kanimozhi's name to involve her in the case at the instance of the CBI.

Achary denied the suggestion that he become a false witness to support the prosecution version in the 2G scam.

Behura's counsel S.P. Minocha alleged that the witness' statement was formulated by the CBI.

Achary was also cross examined by co-accused and Raja's former aide R.K. Chandolia. His cross examination by Balwa would continue Wednesday.

According to the government auditor, the 2G scam allegedly masterminded by Raja pertained to a biased distribution of mobile airwaves and operating licences, in lieu of kickbacks, to telecom firms that could have cost the treasury up to Rs.1.76 lakh crore in lost revenue.

Nineteen individuals and six companies are accused in the case. Except for Raja and Behura, all other arrested accused have been released on bail.