ED raids AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj, others in Delhi health infrastructure projects probe

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday (August 26) 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 (45), 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.

Anti-Corruption Branch complaint

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.

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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).

‘Medical scam’: BJP

The BJP on Tuesday said the Enforcement Directorate's raids against AAP Delhi unit chief and former health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj have exposed the "medical scam" under the previous Arvind Kejriwal government.

The AAP government in Delhi was involved in the "scam" in the construction of hospitals and purchase of medicines and equipment. An investigation into the "scam" in purchase of medicines is already being conducted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said in a video statement.

"We have said it earlier also that the previous AAP government led by Arvind Kejriwal looted Delhi through scams. Now the party is trying to fool people in other states," Sachdeva said.

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The ED raids against Bharadwaj have exposed the "medical scam" under the previous AAP government, he said.

Delhi BJP MLA Harish Khurana alleged that the AAP government paid contractors' bills, even though no work was done on the ground for the construction of hospitals.

The AAP on Tuesday said raids against Bharadwaj were an attempt to divert attention from questions being raised about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree and that the case against the party leader was false.

(With agency inputs)