NEW DELHI: Nearly two years after Satyendar Jain, former minister in erstwhile AAP govt, was released on bail from Tihar Jail in an alleged ED money laundering case filed, Delhi govt’s Anti-Corruption Branch Tuesday arrested him, along with Delhi Jal Board ex-CEO Udit Prakash Rai and four others in an alleged DJB scam.Jain had spent nearly one-and-a-half years in incarceration after being arrested in the money laundering case on May 31, 2022. He was granted bail on Oct 18, 2024.According to joint commissioner of police Vikramjit Singh, the case stems from a formal complaint filed by the directorate of vigilance which alleges widespread irregularities, manipulation of tender criteria and illicit collusion in the tendering process for the augmentation and upgradation of DJB’s sewage treatment plants. Tendering criteria tailored to stifle competition: ACBThe other four individuals taken into custody are former DJB contractual consultant Ankit Srivastava, AN Enterprises proprietor Nagendra Yadav, Euroteck Environment owner Raja Kumar Kurra and Srijanhar proprietor Pankaj Verma.ACB investigations claimed to have revealed that the tendering criteria were heavily tailored to mandate restrictive technical specifications that favored Euroteck Environment, “thereby stifling fair competition”.“Essential effluent parameters were omitted, a mandatory pilot study was bypassed and sudden technical specification changes were inserted to deliver significant, unfair financial benefits to the private entity at a steep cost to the public exchequer,” ACB alleged.Electronic evidence seized during the probe uncovered active communications between the private operators and govt officials, showing that draft corrigenda and restrictive terms were routinely shared before being officially integrated into DJB tender notices, it added.Financial tracing uncovered a complex money-trail designed to disguise kickbacks as commercial transactions through intermediary entities, specifically Srijanhar and AN Enterprises, the agency alleged.ACB claimed to have established that Udit Prakash Rai, as then DJB CEO, received bribes of Rs 1.5 crore through banking channels via Nagendra Yadav’s firm, AN Enterprises, with the initial funds originating from Euroteck.
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These illicit proceeds were subsequently routed into accounts belonging to Rai and his relatives, where they were utilised to purchase immovable property, it alleged.ACB officials said further investigation into the broader nexus and money trail was on. ED had earlier shared its probe report with the vigilance directorate. It claimed to have found irregularities in the award of tenders for upgradation and augmentation of at least 10 STPs for more than Rs 1,900 crore.
