CBI searches home of Satya Pal Malik's ex-aide, others in insurance scam

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday conducted searches at the premises of Sunak Bali, who was an aide of Satya Pal Malik when he was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir, and 11 other locations in Delhi and Rajasthan in the alleged insurance scam case, officials said.

Malik, who was the J-K governor from August 2018 to October 2019, defended Bali and alleged it was "revenge" by the agency.

Officials said CBI teams started a search operation early on Wednesday morning at the residence of Bali, chartered accountant Sanjay Narang, Virender Singh Rana and Kanwar Singh Rana, Priyanka Chowdhary and Anita in Delhi and Rajasthan.

The operation was spread across 10 places in Delhi and two districts in Rajasthan.

Malik, who has served as governor of various states, told PTI that Bali used to arrange media interviews for him when he was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

Malik said he has known Bali for a long time and he did not get any salary from him.

He said Bali was "not a wheeler-dealer" and did not bring any work to him for any financial consideration.

The agency move comes within a month of questioning Malik on April 28 in the matter.

The CBI had registered two FIRs in connection with the corruption allegations levelled by Malik in the awarding of contracts for a group medical insurance scheme for government employees and civil works worth Rs 2,200 crore related to the Kiru hydroelectric power project in Jammu and Kashmir.

The officials said that the search operation was necessitated after the analysis of financial documents, digital evidence and statements of the accused and other persons in the case.

Malik's statement was recorded in October last year after he had concluded his gubernatorial responsibilities in Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Goa, and Meghalaya.

He had claimed he was offered a Rs 300 crore bribe for clearing two files during his tenure as the Jammu and Kashmir governor

Malik had fallen out with the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership and has been critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recent interviews with the media.

The central agency has booked Reliance General Insurance and Trinity Re-Insurance Brokers Limited as accused in its FIR related to a controversial health insurance scheme for Jammu and Kashmir government employees.

The scheme was reportedly cleared by Malik in the state administrative council meeting on August 31, 2018, and scrapped later.

"...Unknown officials of the finance department of government of Jammu and Kashmir by abusing their official position in conspiracy and connivance with Trinity Reinsurance Brokers Ltd, Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd and other unknown public servants and private persons have committed the offences of criminal conspiracy and criminal misconduct," the FIR has alleged.

They caused "pecuniary advantage to themselves and wrongful loss to state exchequer during the period 2017 and 2018 and thereby in this manner cheated the government of Jammu and Kashmir," it alleged.

In its second FIR pertaining to the alleged malpractices in the award of contract for the civil works package of Kiru hydroelectric power project, the CBI said guidelines related to e-tendering were not followed.

The case was registered over allegations of malpractices in the award of the contract of civil works of Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project (HEP) to a private company in 2019.

The agency has booked Navin Kumar Chaudhary, former chairman of Chenab Valley Power Projects (P) Ltd, M S Babu, former MD, M K Mittal and Arun Kumar Mishra, former directors and Patel Engineering Ltd.

"Though a decision was taken in the 47th Board meeting of CVPPPL (Chenab Valley Power Projects Ltd) for re-tender through e-tendering with the reverse auction after the cancellation of the ongoing tendering process, the same was not implemented (as per the decision taken in the 48th board meeting) and tender was finally awarded to Patel Engineering Ltd," the FIR alleged.