| Policy & Regulation | | | Peeved Moily says can''t manufacture info for CBI | | | TT Correspondent | | 22 Jul 2011 | | |   Unhappy with the CBI's stance in the Essar-Loop shareholding controversy, Corporate Affairs Minister Veerappa Moily today said his ministry cannot "create information" to satisfy the investigative agency.
"Just because CBI wants, we cannot create information, there is no question of manufacturing data. Whatever was available, we have cooperated and in future also we will cooperate," the Minister said, when asked about the CBI allegations against the Ministry in the Supreme Court.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), during a hearing on the 2G spectrum scam, had termed as unfortunate the letter from the Corporate Affairs Ministry that said that Essar had less than 10 per cent stake in Loop.
"I have verified. There is no such serious difference (in two reports of 2009 and 2011). Ultimately, they sent a letter in the evening and by morning they wanted a report. How can we do that? But they should have sent the intimation little early..there was a communication gap," Moily said when asked if the CBI consulted the Ministry before submitting its status report with the Supreme Court.
The agency had also questioned the contradiction in the shareholding details in the two reports given by MCA. The MCA has so far given two reports -- in 2009 and 2011 -- on cross holding of shares of Essar in Loop Telecom.
"Yes, the latest report they (the MCA officials) sent was 2.15 per cent, which was much below 10 per cent," Moily said.
In the previous report of 2009 also the MCA had said that Essar has less than 10 per cent stake in Loop.
Further, clearing the Ministry's stand, Moily said that there was no information that the MCA can suppress as data regarding all companies is available on the MCA's website and also advised the CBI to get familiar with the e-governance platform for future references.
"What information this ministry has we will be happy to share it, we don't want to suppress it. We have everything on the e-platform...It is all there, anyone can take it from there. You should have the patience to go through the website."
"There was nothing wanting on the ministry. CBI should also start adopting this e-governance process so that what every government document they want they could access it. We have not developed that of a culture," Moily said.
He further said if need be he would meet the CBI to clear out misunderstandings and ensure there is no such communication gap in future.
"In future I would like to see that such communication gap is not there and I would also like to advice the CBI, if there is anything you will have to appropriately deal with it," Moily said. |
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