The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday attached assets worth R742 crore belonging to the former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother and Sun TV head Kalinithi Maran and his wife Kaveri Kalinithi in connection with its probe into alleged money laundering in the Aircel-Maxis deal connected to the 2G spectrum allocation scandal.

The ED order was issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). According to ED officers, the attachment order was issued in connection with an offence of money laundering relating to illegal gratification amounting to R742.58 crore received by Dayanidhi Maran.

A probe by the Headquarter Investigation Unit (HIU) in the ED headquarters has allegedly revealed that the illegal gratification on Dayanidhi Maran’s behalf was paid by Mauritius-based companies to two companies — Sun Direct TV (SDTPL) and South Asia FM (SAFL) — that are owned and controlled by Kalanithi Maran. The money was utilised by the companies in their business or investments, according to the ED.

ED officers said their probe under PMLA had further revealed that promoters of SDTPL are Kalanithi and Kaveri Kalanithi, holding 80% of the company’s shares. The shareholders of SAFL are Sun TV Network, which holds 60% of its shares, and AH Multisoft and South Asia Multimedia Technologies, Mauritius, which hold 20% shares each.

Kalanithi Maran holds 75% shares in Sun TV Network. ED officers also said Kalanithi and Kaveri Kalanithi hold 90% and 10% shareholding, respectively, in Kal Comm. Among the assets attached are land and building owned by Kal Comm worth R171.55 crore, freehold land and building owned by Sun Network worth R266 crore, and shares of SDTPL held by Kalanithi Maran worth R139 crore.

Under Section 5(1) of the PMLA, ED has also attached fixed deposits held by Dayanidhi Maran and others worth R7.47 crore, fixed deposits held by SDTPL worth R31.34 crore, fixed deposits held by SAFL worth R6.19 crore, mutual funds held by SAFL worth R15.14 crore, fixed deposit and mutual funds held by Kalanithi Maran worth R100 crore and R2.78 crore, respectively, as well as fixed deposit and mutual funds held by Kaveri Maran worth R30 crore and R1.78 crore, respectively.

The CBI had filed its charge sheet on August 29 against the two brothers. It charged Dayanidhi Maran with criminal conspiracy and making illegal pecuniary gains. It alleged that he entered into a criminal conspiracy with T Ananda Krishnan, owner of the Malaysian company Maxis, and coerced C Sivasankaran, owner of Aircel, to sell his shares to Krishnan allegedly in lieu of investments in Sun Direct TV. Besides the Marans, the CBI had named Krishnan, Ralph Marshall, a senior executive of the Maxis Group, and four companies, including Sun Direct TV, in its charge sheet.

The CBI had alleged that a bribe was paid by Maxis through its subsidiary Astro All Asia Network, based in the UK as investment in Sun Direct, owned by Kalanithi Maran.

The ED’s probe in Aircel-Maxis deal had gathered steam in December last year, when it questioned the Maran brothers. ED sources had then revealed that they were gearing up to issue an attachment order for seizing assets valued at over Rs 600 crore.