By the Lieutenant Governor's directive, the AAP leader will undergo an investigation under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Delhi's Lieutenant Governor, V K Saxena, has approved a probe into former Delhi Minister Satyendra Jain for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 7 crore from officials of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) will spearhead this investigation.
As per the Lieutenant Governor's directive, the AAP leader will be investigated under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The former Delhi Minister is accused of receiving the alleged bribe to forgo a penalty of Rs 16 crore imposed on BEL, which was engaged in a project to install CCTVs in 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi. The total value of the project was Rs 571 crore.
"LG concurred with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption's recommendation to refer the case under Section 17 A of the Prevention of Corruption (PoC) Act, 1998, to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for authorization of an investigation against Jain by ACB," stated the Delhi Lt Governor's office in an official release.
According to a communiqué from the Lt Governor's House, the issue came to light following a September 2019 complaint from a BEL employee, who alleged that BEL, through its vendors, arranged a Rs 7 crore bribe for Jain. The ACB's subsequent investigation found corroborative evidence from confidential sources, bolstering the case against Jain.
The Lt Governor's Secretariat confirmed that an examination of documents revealed repeated orders placed with vendors to facilitate the bribe, suggesting potential violations under the PoC Act. The bribe was allegedly funneled to Jain through these vendors. Due to the severity of the allegations, the ACB argued that there were sufficient grounds for a thorough investigation.
The ACB documented statements from the complainant, who had been subjected to a departmental inquiry related to the case. The complainant's testimony, along with the departmental inquiry proceedings, underscored the alleged bribery demand and payment. The Directorate of Vigilance concluded a prima facie case under the PoC Act against Jain based on the complainant’s statements and other gathered evidence. However, the Public Works Department (PWD) could not provide a satisfactory rebuttal, attributing the matter to an internal issue within BEL. BEL also refused to disclose details, citing commercial confidentiality.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has dismissed the allegations against Satyendra Jain as baseless.
In response to the probe against Jain, AAP minister Atishi criticized the BJP for "plotting against the Delhi government."
She remarked that over the past decade, more than 200 cases have been filed against AAP leaders, asserting that "not a single rupee of corruption has been recovered so far."
Denouncing it as a "fabricated case," she stated, "The BJP aims to cripple the Delhi government."
