Health scam: Enforcement Directorate registers money laundering case against Babu Singh Kushwaha

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered 14 separate cases under anti-money laundering laws against former Uttar Pradesh Family Welfare Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha and others in the alleged financial irregularities in the National Rural Health Mission scam.

The CBI, which had registered 13 FIRs in the same case, has already filed three charge sheets after it arrested Mr Kushwaha, who was a minister in the previous Mayawati government, in connection with its probe into this case.

In its report, equivalent of an FIR, the ED has named various individuals and former government officials of Uttar Pradesh including senior IAS officer and former Principal Secretary, Health, Pradeep Shukla, former General Manager of UP Jal Nigam's PSU Construction and Design Service P K Jain, the then Project Manager B N Srivastava, the then Resident Engineers Katar Singh, B N Ram Yadav and the then Accountant J K Singh.

The agency has registered the cases after going through the financial records of utilising funds to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore allocated under the Centrally-sponsored NRHM to Uttar Pradesh by the Union Health Ministry.

The agency, according to sources, will probe the wealth proceeds of the allegedly siphoned off government funds for the scheme and will soon issue notices and question those arrested by the CBI in the case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

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Mr Kushwaha, however, has not been named in the CBI chargesheet and is under custody at present.

A special CBI court in Ghaziabad on Tuesday extended his judicial custody till May 1.

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The CBI, during its probe in the case, has alleged that they detected that of every Rs 100 allocated for hospitals, nearly Rs 68 were siphoned off by officials while remaining Rs 32 were utilised in the project.

While the first CBI chargesheet was filed in connection with alleged irregularities in the upgradation of 134 hospitals in UP under the NRHM accusing five former government officials, two companies and two others in the case, the second pertained to alleged irregularities in the Central health scheme against former UP Director General of Family Welfare S P Ram and three others for flouting tender rules in supply of medical kits.

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The third CBI chargesheet was filed with regard to alleged irregularities in purchase of computers and peripherals in Uttar Pradesh under the centrally sponsored scheme.

The ED will also write to the UP Health Department and the Union Health Ministry to get additional documents dealing with NRHM scam and will record the statements of both these departments separately.