ED raids AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj, others in Delhi health infra 'scam'

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday searched the premises of former minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and others as part of a money laundering probe linked to an alleged scam in health infrastructure projects during the previous AAP government in Delhi, official sources said. At least 13 locations, including those of some private contractors and commercial real estate developers, in the National Capital Region are being searched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. The ED investigation against Bharadwaj, Delhi AAP unit chief and national spokesperson for his party, stems from an FIR registered by Delhi's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in June. The ACB booked Bharadwaj, his party colleague and ex-health minister Satyendar Jain, private contractors and unknown government officials for alleged corruption in health infrastructure projects by the AAP government led by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

After the filing of the ACB's FIR, the AAP alleged blatant misuse of agencies to defame its leaders. The ACB complaint came after the Delhi BJP alleged in August last year "grave irregularities and suspected corruption in various health infrastructure projects under the Delhi government". The ACB complaint alleged "systematic manipulation of project budgets, misuse of public funds and collusion with private contractors". It alleged that during 2018-19, 24 hospital projects worth Rs 5,590 crore were sanctioned. However, these projects remained largely incomplete, with substantial and unexplained cost escalations. Similarly, the Rs 1,125-crore ICU Hospital Project, covering seven pre-engineered facilities with a total of 6,800 beds, is only 50 per cent complete after nearly three years and an expenditure of Rs 800 crore, despite an initial six-month completion timeline, according to ACB officials. ED officials said the searches are based on material collected during the course of investigation and allegations contained in the FIR regarding large-scale corruption, unjustified cost escalations, unauthorised constructions and misappropriation of funds in health infrastructure projects of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD).