Rs 5 to 6-billion scam in Chhattisgarh’s DMF funds exposed
During an ED probe, it came to light that contractors paid exorbitant commissions ranging from 25 to 40 per cent of the contract value to officials and political figures in the state.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Santhosh Eapen, managing director of Unitac Builders, in connection with the LIFE Mission bribery case.
Unitac Builders is the firm which was awarded the contract of building of houses under the LIFE Mission project at Wadakkanchery.
This is the second arrest in the LIFE Mission case. The ED had on 14 February arrested M Sivasankar, former principal secretary to the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in connection with the case. He is now in judicial custody.
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Santhosh Eapen had earlier reportedly given statements to the ED that he had given commission to a few persons, including some government officials, for the work that was awarded to him. An iPhone, which he had reportedly purchased, was allegedly given to. Sivasankar.
The ED had alleged in the remand report of Sivasankar that the Rs 1.08 crore that was found in the locker of Swapna Suresh, prime accused in the diplomatic channel gold smuggling case, was the commission amount in the Life Mission housing project which was funded by Red Crescent, a UAE-based charity organisation.
The LIFE Mission project was conceived to provide houses to the poor who lost their shelter in the 2018 floods.
The UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram and the Kerala LIFE mission entered into an agreement to construct a housing complex at Wadakkancherry using the Red Crescent’s funds in 2019.
It has been alleged that Sivasankar and the UAE Consul General received kickbacks from Unitac builders for awarding the work of construction of the housing complex to them. The alleged corruption came to light after former UAE Consulate employees Swapna Suresh and Sarith PS were arrested by the ED and Customs in the gold smuggling case.
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