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IAS Officer Sanjeev Jaiswal was subjected to intense questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for a duration of 10 hours.
The senior bureaucrat of 1996 batch had skipped two prior summons by the agency which had led to people raising question and suspecting that ED is going easy on him.
The questioning focused on the procurements of medical supplies and the approval of contractors in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jaiswal was specifically queried about the process followed to award tenders and the alleged irregularities in contracts, which included higher rates for COVID medicines and body bags.
During the questioning, Jaiswal was asked to provide details and documents to support his claim that all payments were processed by the Central Purchase Department (CPD) and the municipal commissioner, Iqbal Singh Chahal. Jaiswal maintained his stance, asserting that he had no involvement in the payments made to the contractors.
After the extensive session of interrogation, Jaiswal was allowed to return home. He expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation, stating, “I cooperated during the investigation. However, I was unwell, which is why I couldn’t attend the last two summons. If they call me again, I will surely come.”
The ED is expected to continue its inquiry into the alleged irregularities surrounding COVID procurements, with a focus on uncovering any potential financial improprieties or wrongdoing.
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