As if ‘tax evader’ tag was not enough, India’s ministry of home affairs (MHA) has accused Vodafone of potential links with the UK intelligence agencies. In view of the recent expose by Snowden how the USA was snooping Indian emails, MHA’s concern raises serious questions on Vodafone’s creditability. The UK and the USA are close alliance.
 
Vodafone and Verizon (which has stake in Vodafone's wireless joint venture) are learnt to be secretly collaborating with Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and passing on details of their customers' phone calls, email messages and other communication, according to MHA.

    
 
GCHQ is a British government intelligence agency. Its mass tapping operation has been built up over five years by attaching intercept probes to transatlantic cables where they land on British shores, noted the MHA communication.
 
“Leading telecom firms, including Vodafone, are learnt to be secretly collaborating with UK's intelligence and security agency GCHQ and passing on details of their customers phone calls and other communication and are known as intercept partners,” according to an official communiqué.
 
“It is a serious charge. If the MHA had this information, I do not know how 100% FDI for the company was approved. In fact, its earlier equity structure was also debatable and under scrutiny,” said a former Intelligence official.
 
Vodafone became the first foreign telecom operator to get approval for 100% foreign direct investment (FDI). Its proposal to buy equity of its minority shareholders was cleared by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) on December 30 and, then by the CCEA onFebruary 7.

     
 
Vodafone has said that it was not aware of any such concern. “No such concern has been raised with us by the Indian Government. The Government of India's approval of our FDI application states that it was cleared by the FIPB and CCEA after all necessary due diligence,” said Vodafone in a statement.