New Delhi
It has been more than a week since the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has started its probe into the alleged Rs 4,000 crore Covid scam of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The alleged scam involves irregularities in the purchase of body bags and medicines during the pandemic and related contracts awarded at the directions of political heavyweights.
During the Covid pandemic, the Maharashtra government led by Uddhav Thackeray was in power and the Thackerays have been in control of the BMC for the last 24 years.
It was in August 2022 that a complaint was given to the Maharashtra government when Uddhav’s one-time close aide and trusted lieutenant Eknath Shinde became the Chief Minister. Acting upon various complaints about irregularities in the BMC, Shinde ordered a probe in which irregularities of crores of rupees were found and after suspicion that money laundering had taken place in transactions, the ED started acting last week and on 22 June simultaneously raided 16 places belonging to politicians, contractors and bureaucrats. Until now, the ED has questioned nine persons, including Suraj Chavan, Aaditya Thackeray’s close aide and Shiv Sena (UBT) Secretary.
He was quizzed for his role in the alleged multi-crore BMC Covid scam. Chavan faces charges of influencing contracts/suppliers and purchases to the people of his choice. Chavan was also questioned about his four flats in Mumbai’s posh areas. During the interrogation, the agency came to know about half a dozen middlemen having high political contacts who allegedly did liaison between the suppliers and BMC officials. ED officials suspect these middlemen influenced some contract conditions to support and favour their favourites, having the blessings of a political family. The ED feels such suppliers either were ineligible to bag the contracts or had supplied services to BMC at much higher rates.
The ED is examining and verifying whether there was any quid pro quo for the award of contracts. The ED probe began with an FIR lodged in August 2022 against the partners of Lifeline Hospital Management Services (LHMS), contracted by the BMC to set up jumbo Covid centres. According to the FIR, this company got the contract by allegedly forging documents and had no previous experience in providing manpower services nor the medical facility.
The money trail in LHMS has been established and shows, according to the ED, that crores were illegally routed which were not used for the stated purposes. The ED during investigation has come to know about LHMS, which is owned by Sujit Patkar, who is a close family friend of Shiv Sena leader and MP Sanjay Raut.
The ED has summoned a few more after which the agency will start investigating who the political stalwart was at whose behest the alleged BMC scam was perpetrated.