Mr Patkar managed to gather advance information about the tender process, investigative agency ED said.
Mumbai:
Businessman Sujit Patkar, reportedly a close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, played a “key role” in awarding a civilian contract to his partnership firm for running major COVID-19 centers in Mumbai, the Enforcement Directorate said in his charge sheet.
According to the ED, Mr. Patkar managed to gather prior information about the tender process for these centers due to his “proximity to a politically exposed person” and out of the total proceeds from crime of Rs 32.44 crore, an amount of Rs 2.81 crore was recovered redirected to his personal bank account.
Besides Mr Patkar, the other accused named in the charge sheet are the firm Lifeline Hospital Management Services, its three partners and the dean of the Dahisar jumbo Covid Center Dr. Kishore Bisure.
Mr Patkar and Mr Bisure have been arrested by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and are currently in judicial custody.
According to the ED cost statement, Mr. Patkar, one of the key partners of Lifeline Hospital Management Services with a 30 percent stake, invested only Rs 12,500 at the time of incorporation of the company.
Mr. Patkar indulged in criminal activities and hatched a conspiracy in connivance with other accused partners and officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and managed to secure a tender/contract, the chargesheet said.
He managed to gather advance information about the tender process due to his proximity to a “politically exposed person” and then he and his partners formed the company to obtain the tender from civil authorities, the specifications said.
“Patkar liaised with BMC officials and played a key role in the process of awarding contracts for supply of manpower to Jumbo Covid facility at Dahisar and Worli to Lifeline Management Services,” the report said.
The ED charge sheet further stated that the accused partners, for excessive personal financial gain, had schemed to under-deploy medical staff at Dahisar and Worli Jumbo Covid facilities.
In execution of their plan, they instructed their employees deployed at the above-mentioned Jumbo Covid Centers to create fake attendance records in accordance with the EOI (expression of interest) issued by the civic body.
The plan involved massive understaffing of medical staff, which had endangered the lives of COVID-19 patients, the indictment said.
It alleged that the suspect submitted false and fabricated attendance sheets and related data for the Dahisar Jumbo Covid facility, while in respect of the Worli center, invoices were submitted to the civic body without attendance data and personnel data.
Mr. Patkar, in collaboration with other partners, deliberately did not disclose the termination of the contract by the Pune Municipal Region Development Authority, which had specified the shortcomings of the company and also advised not to give any further work to Lifeline Hospital Management Services with a view to greater public interest, the ED complaint pointed out.
Obtaining payments amounting to Rs 32.44 crore from the civic body as part of this contract created proceeds of crime, it said.
Out of this PoC, an amount of Rs 2.81 crore was transferred to Patkar’s personal bank account between November 2020 and October 2022, the charge sheet said.
This amount was largely used for repayment of his personal loans (property and cars) and other expenses by projecting them as untainted funds, the expense summary added.
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
