The Enforcement Directorate conducted raids on Tuesday targeting former minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and several private entities as part of a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged scam in health infrastructure projects during the previous AAP administration in Delhi, according to official sources. At least 13 locations within the National Capital Region are under search following a case registered against Bharadwaj and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). These locations include Bharadwaj’s residence in south Delhi, as well as the homes and offices of various private contractors and commercial real estate developers situated on K G Marg and West Patel Nagar, among others.
The investigation by the ED into Bharadwaj, who is AAP’s Delhi unit chief and national spokesperson, originates from an FIR filed by Delhi’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on June 26. The ACB’s complaint implicated Bharadwaj, his party associate and former health minister Satyendar Jain, private contractors, and unidentified government officials for alleged corrupt practices in health infrastructure projects initiated by the prior AAP government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In response to the ED’s actions, the AAP asserted that the raids against Bharadwaj were an attempt to distract from inquiries surrounding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s academic credentials and maintained that the allegations against their leader were unfounded.
Senior party member Manish Sisodia contended that the case is related to a period when Bharadwaj was not serving in any ministerial capacity. The ACB’s complaint followed allegations made by the Delhi BJP in August of the previous year regarding significant irregularities and suspected corruption in various health infrastructure projects under the AAP-led Delhi government. The complaint claimed systematic manipulation of project budgets, misuse of public funds, and collusion with private contractors. The Delhi BJP asserted that the ED’s raids on Bharadwaj have revealed a ‘medical scam’ associated with the Kejriwal administration.
ED officials indicated that the searches are predicated on evidence gathered during the investigation and that the allegations in the FIR involve extensive corruption, unjustifiable cost increases, unauthorized constructions, and misappropriation of funds in health infrastructure projects within the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD).
