NEW DELHI — A CBI team on Friday reached the residence of Satyapal Malik, the former Governor of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state, to gather more information in an alleged corruption case of Rs 60 crore.
A CBI team arrived around 11.45 am at the Som Vihar residence of Malik in the RK Puram area of the national capital to seek clarifications from him on his claims, they said.
Malik is not an accused or a suspect in the case so far, they said.
The case pertains to a health insurance scheme that he was allegedly asked to push. Malik had claimed that he was offered a bribe for clearing the files during his tenure as the J&K Governor between August 23, 2018 and October 30, 2019.
Last year, the CBI had lodged a case in this respect and conducted raids in six states.
On March 23, 2022 a letter was received from Dr Mohammad Usman Khan, JKAS, Deputy Secretary, General Administration Department, Government of J&K regarding a matter of malpractice in awarding a contract of J&K Government Employees Health Care Insurance Scheme to Reliance General Insurance Corporation Limited.
“The allegations mentioned in the written communication prima facie disclosed that unknown officials of Finance Department of Government of J&K by abusing their official position in conspiracy and connivance with Trinity Reinsurance Brokers Ltd., Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd and other unknown public servants committed the offences of Criminal Conspiracy and Criminal Misconduct to cause pecuniary advantage to themselves and caused wrongful loss to state exchequer during the period 2017 and 2018 and thereby in this manner cheated the Govt of J&K,” the CBI source said.
After preliminary inquiry, the CBI lodged a case under sections 120-B read with sections 420 of RPC and Section 5(2), Section 5(1)(d) of J&K PC Act.
This is the second time in seven months that Malik, who has served as the governor of various states, will be quizzed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). — IANS (Inputs added)