New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out searches at the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the construction of hospitals in the national capital.
According to information available, ED officials have been conducting simultaneous searches at 13 locations across Delhi since Tuesday morning.
So far, the ED has not revealed the details of assets seized or clarified the exact nature of the suspected financial irregularities.
The search operation at Bharadwaj’s residence began in the morning and was still underway at the time of reporting.
Sources said the matter is linked to alleged irregularities in several hospital projects in which there were accusations of large-scale financial mismanagement and embezzlement.
The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) was the first to flag the alleged scam.
The ACB investigation revealed that in 2018-19, as many as 24 hospital projects were sanctioned in Delhi at an estimated cost of around Rs 5,500 crore.
These included 11 greenfield projects and 13 brownfield projects. However, despite approvals, the projects were subjected to unwarranted delays while costs escalated significantly, raising strong suspicions of corruption and financial misconduct.
The ICU hospital was expected to be finished in six months, but after three years, the project was still not completed. Even though Rs 800 crore was spent, only 50 per cent of the work has been completed as of now.
The expenditure for the expansion of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital rose from Rs 488 crore to Rs 1,135 crore without any significant advancements.
The construction work was initiated at several locations without approval, and the contractors’ roles have raised suspicions.
The Hospital Information Management System (HIMS) has been awaiting implementation since 2016, amid claims of intentional postponement.
In addition to Bharadwaj, AAP leader Satyendar Jain is also being investigated in this case.
Bharadwaj, who earlier represented the Greater Kailash constituency in the Delhi Assembly, held important portfolios in the AAP government, including Health, Urban Development and Water.
(IANS)
