Former Karnataka medical education department officials face FIR amid Rs 7,000 crore COVID ‘scam’ allegations
In a significant move against alleged corruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bengaluru police have lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against former officials of the Karnataka Department of Medical Education (DME).
This action follows an interim report by a committee led by a retired Karnataka High Court judge, established by the Congress government to investigate procurement irregularities under the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) administration, The Indian Express reports.
The FIR, registered on Friday, December 13, targets former DME Director Dr PG Girish, Joint Director (Accounts) GC Raghu, and unnamed elected representatives.
The complaint, filed by Chief Accounts Officer Dr M Vishnuprasad, alleges misconduct in the acquisition of 15.51 lakh Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits worth Rs 203 crore and 42.15 lakh N-95 masks valued at Rs 9.75 crore during 2020-21.
At the time, Dr K Sudhakar, current Member of Parliament (MP) for Chikballapur, served as the Medical Education Minister.
According to the police complaint, the DME was authorised on August 18, 2020, to procure PPE kits and N-95 masks for 17 medical colleges and one super specialty hospital, with a budget cap of Rs 41.35 crore.
Despite payments made, The Indian Express highlights that there are no records of these supplies being delivered to the intended institutions. Notably, excess PPE kits were purchased without a tender process, and multiple procurement orders lacked proper documentation.
The FIR emerges after the Justice John Michael D’Cunha Commission’s interim report revealed procurement irregularities amounting to Rs 7,223 crore across various agencies. The report specifically cited overpayments and unauthorised imports of PPE kits, implicating former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and Health Minister B Sriramulu.
Consequently, the Karnataka Cabinet in October decided to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to pursue prosecutions based on the committee’s findings.
