ED files charge sheet against ex-CEO in Rs 30.18 crore MP marriage scheme scam

Bhopal, Oct 31 (IANS) The Directorate of Enforcement’s (ED) Bhopal Zonal Office has filed a charge sheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, against former Panchayat CEO Shobhit Tripathi and two other persons before a special court here in a case relating to the alleged fraudulent disbursement of government funds under Madhya Pradesh’s Marriage Assistance Scheme.

The scheme, introduced by the state government, provides financial assistance of Rs 51,000 to the daughters of registered poor construction workers.

During his tenure as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Janpat Panchayat, Sironj, from 2019 to November 2021, Tripathi, in collusion with others, allegedly approved and disbursed Rs 30.18 crore across 5,923 suspicious marriage assistance cases, an ED press note said.

The ED investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Bhopal, under Sections 420 and 409 read with 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and Sections 13(1)(e) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, against Tripathi and others, it said.

According to the probe, forged and fabricated application forms and credentials of ineligible beneficiaries were used to fraudulently claim benefits under the scheme. Funds were transferred into bank accounts opened using the credentials of these ineligible persons without their knowledge.

The amounts were then moved to makeshift bank accounts controlled by the accused and withdrawn in cash through multiple tranches.

Investigators also found that benefits were extended to ineligible persons even during the Covid-19 lockdown period, when public marriages were prohibited, the ED said.

On October 28, the ED attached various immovable properties belonging to Tripathi and his associate Hemant Sahu. Searches conducted in the matter led to the recovery of several incriminating documents.

Tripathi was arrested on September 2 under the provisions of the PMLA and is currently under judicial custody, it said. The Enforcement Directorate has stated that further investigation in the case is in progress.

The filing of the charge sheet marks a significant step in the agency’s efforts to recover proceeds of crime and hold the accused accountable for the alleged large-scale diversion of public funds meant for the welfare of poor construction workers’ families.

–IANS

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