BBC Learning English
Words in the News
13th April 2011
India 'telecoms scam' goes to court
India's former telecoms minister has appeared in court over allegations of an almost $40
billion fraud. He is charged with accepting bribes in return for selling mobile phone licences
for much less than they were actually worth. Sanjoy Majumder reports:
Andimuthu Raja and seven others, including two former bureaucrats, will be produced in a
special court, which is expected to hold daily hearings, in one of the most high-profile trials in
India. He's been charged with conspiracy, forgery and abuse of power. If convicted, he
faces seven years in prison.
Mr Raja is accused of selling second-generation mobile phone licenses in 2008, at a fraction
of their real value, an action estimated to have cost the government nearly $40 billion in lost
revenue. He was forced to resign from the government and was arrested in February, and has
been in prison since.
The telecom scam has badly damaged the reputation of the government, which has been hit
by a series of corruption scandals. Last week, wide public protests, led by an anti-corruption
crusader, forced it to begin proceedings to strengthen India's anti-graft laws.
Sanjoy Majumder, BBC News, Delhi
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
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Vocabulary and definitions
bureaucrats officials who work for governments or other large
organisations and follow rules very strictly
conspiracy planning to carry out illegal activities
forgery production of false or fake copies of something valuable
(e.g. money or documents)
abuse of power taking advantage of a position of authority in a selfish way
a fraction of a small amount of
lost revenue money which could have been earned
scam illegal or dishonest scheme for making money
hit by badly affected by
proceedings an organised series of events or actions
anti-graft laws regulations preventing powerful people from obtaining
money dishonestly
More on this story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13058873
Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2011/04/110413_witn_phone_corruption_page.shtml
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
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