CBI searches houses of Ziqitza Health Care Limited directors

New Delhi, August 29

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The Central Bureau of Investigation searched the houses of Ziqitza Health Care Limited directors on Saturday in connection with irregularities in commissioning the company's ambulance services in 2010. This comes a day after some top Congress leaders were booked in the corruption case.

The agency searched the houses of Sweta Mangal as well as the other directors of the healthcare firm — Naresh Jain and Ravi Krishna, son of former Union Minister Vayalar Ravi — CBI sources said on Saturday.

The CBI has accused then directors of the company — former Unon Minister and current Rajasthan Pradesh Congress chief Sachin Pilot; Karthi Cidambaram, son of former Union Minister P Chidambaram; Ravi Krishna; and Sweta Mangal, still a director of the firm — of manipulating terms of the contract in order to secure it. Others accused in the case are former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and then Health Minister of the state Duru Mirza and as well as the Director of National Rural Health Mission, sources in the CBI said.

"The FIR was registered against the then Directors of the private firm at Mumbai/Jaipur and others including public servants under section 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 468, 471 and 120-B of IPC on the allegations of irregularities in the award of tender in favour of the said firm by deliberately inserting technical specifications and irregularities in the implementation of the project which included excess bills claimed by said firm and paid to them," CBI spokesperson said. 

Case orchestrated by BJP state govt: Gehlot

The Congress, meanwhile, claimed it was a case of political vendetta.

Pilot claimed he resigned from the company in 2002 or 2003, even before he became MP, when the company decided to change froma ‘non-profit’ venture to a ‘for profit’ company.

Karthi Chidambaram said he was an independent non-executive director of Ziqitza until February 24, 2012, and was never involved in the administration of the company.

"Many international funds have invested in the company and are represented in the board. Kirit Somaiya, who made the allegations, has been sued by the company," he said.

Gehlot called the allegations a move take attention away from the scams in the BJP state government, especially ones surrounding CM Vasundhara Raje and Dushyant Singh.

“Raje’s government could have initiated an inquiry themselves. There was no need for a CBI probe,” he told reporters at Jodhpur Civil Airport. — PTI