New Delhi, September 28
Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Jalandhar has provisionally attached properties worth Rs. 22.78 crores in a money laundering case related to Tender Scam in the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs when Bharat Bhushan Sharma alias Ashu was Cabinet Minister, in Ministry of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Government of Punjab.
The properties attached, belonging to persons involved in money laundering, include immovable properties situated at Ludhiana, Mohali, Khanna and other parts of Punjab and movable properties in the form of FDRs, Gold Jewellery, Bullions and bank accounts.
ED initiated investigation on the basis of various FIRs registered by Vigilance Bureau, Punjab, under various sections of IPC, 1860 and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 related to ‘Tender Scam’ in Department of Food and Civil Supplies.
ED investigation revealed that the then minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, favoured selected contractors in allotment of tenders and promising higher profits to them, thereby collecting bribe from them through Rajdeep Singh Nagra, Rakesh Kumar Singla and other persons including a few government officers of Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department. The bribe money was further laundered to purchase movable and immovable properties using network of shell entities.
During investigation, Bharat Bhushan Sharma and his close aide Rajdeep Singh Nagra were arrested under PMLA, 2002 for committing the offence of money laundering and both are in Judicial Custody at present.
