The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out searches at multiple locations in the national capital, including the residence of Aam Aadmi Party MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj, in connection with a money laundering case linked to a health infrastructure project scam.
The case is linked to alleged financial irregularities in the construction of hospitals during Bharadwaj’s tenure as Delhi’s health minister.
What is hospital construction scam?
In 2018-19, the then AAP government led by Chief Minister Arvidn Kejriwal approved projects worth Rs 5,590 crore for the construction of 24 hospitals—11 greenfield and 13 brownfield.
“These projects are mired in inexplicable delays and astronomical cost overruns, indicating large-scale financial embezzlement,” the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) had said in a statement earlier.
The ACB has filed a case against Bharadwaj and another AAP leader Satyendra Jain. The case was registered after receiving approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act from the competent authority.
The ACB action came based on a complaint filed by Vijender Gupta, then Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly.
'A fake case'
AAP on Tuesday termed the Enforcement Directorate raids against the party's Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj a "diversionary tactic" and claimed that the case against him is false.
This is a developing story
