Former Indian telecom minister A. Raja's alleged lowball pricing of mobile phone spectrum at the behest of his corporate pals is arguably India's biggest corruption scandal. But should it really be considered among the top all-time abuses of power in the world?
- Manan Vatsyayana/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
- TIME has a new list of the "Top 10 Abuses of Power" and it puts Mr. Raja's 2G scam at No. 2, just behind the "Watergate" scandal.
TIME magazine has a new list of the "Top 10 Abuses of Power" and it puts Mr. Raja's so-called 2G scam at No. 2, just behind the "Watergate" scandal that shook American politics and brought down President Richard Nixon in 1974.
We at India Real Time think that is a big stretch and is an example of the hyperbole that often surrounds the "2G" spectrum case. The dodgy Indian spectrum sale of 2008 led to several billion dollars in lost potential revenue for the Indian treasury, according to Indian investigators. No one really knows how much the spectrum would have been worth in an auction, and neither investigators nor the media has yet been able to show how much bribe money was paid out to Mr. Raja or his associates.
Moreover, it may be a bit early to add Mr. Raja to such a list, given that India's legal system has yet to render its verdict on him. Mr. Raja, who denies wrongdoing, is facing trial on criminal charges of conspi [...]
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