Delhi government sanctions prosecution of 3 officials in medical scam

The Delhi government has approved a legal prosecution for three government officials arrested by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in connection with a Rs 700-crore medical equipment procurement scam, according to The Indian Express. The officials are Dr Vinod Kumar Ranga, former head of the Central Procurement Agency (CPA) office; Dr Vatsala Aggarwal, former Director General of Health Services; and Neeraj Chopra, former CPA deputy controller of accounts.

Their arrests followed months of seeking the government's approval to prosecute them. Pharmaceutical trader Rajiv Rangila, the alleged mastermind, has also been arrested for his role in the alleged scam involving inflated prices for government hospitals. The ACB has filed a chargesheet of around 12,000 pages and is still investigating the roles of additional doctors, government employees, and outsourced service providers.

The investigation revealed that the tender was awarded to shell companies operated by Rangila and his associates, violating the government e-marketplace procurement system. Objections raised by the Accounts department were allegedly ignored. The ACB is investigating the alleged proceeds and whether the network extends to Delhi, Haryana, and Uttarakhand.