New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted searches at multiple locations linked to former Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj as part of a money laundering probe. At least 13 sites in the National Capital Region, including residences of private contractors and commercial real estate developers, were searched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The investigation is connected to an FIR registered by Delhi's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in June against Bharadwaj, ex-health minister Satyendar Jain, private contractors, and unknown government officials for alleged corruption in health infrastructure projects during the previous AAP government administration.

According to the ACB complaint, 24 hospital projects worth approximately Rs 5,590 crore were sanctioned during 2018-19 but suffered unexplained delays, cost escalations, unauthorised constructions, and financial mismanagement. Notably, a Rs 1,125-crore ICU hospital project covering seven facilities is only halfway complete despite three years having passed and Rs 800 crore spent, while another project saw its costs more than double without any major progress.

The ED based its searches on evidence gathered during the investigation and FIR allegations involving large-scale corruption, misuse of public funds, unjustified budget escalations, and collusion with contractors. Bharadwaj, a prominent AAP spokesperson and former Delhi minister, along with other accused parties, remain under investigation as the probe continues.

With inputs from PTI