In India’s Telecom Industry, Corruption Casts a Long Shadow
Last Saturday, former Indian telecom minister Sukh Ram was sentenced to five years imprisonment by a Delhi court. His crime: accepting a bribe of $6,000 for showing undue favors to a local firm. He was also fined $8,000.The judgment against Sukh Ram has been 15 years in the making and relates to a case that dates back to 1996. And it’s not yet over; Sukh Ram is planning to appeal to a higher court. The former minister is now 86; few expect him to serve his term.
Ironically, Sukh Ram was taken from court to Tihar Jail No. 1, where another former telecom minister, Andimuthu Raja, is already imprisoned. Raja was telecom minister more recently and has been accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of involvement in a 2G telecom scam that is estimated to have caused a loss of $40 billion to the exchequer, according to the Indian Comptroller and Auditor General, an official watchdog body that audits central and state accounts.
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