The situation appears to be worsening for Sandip Ghosh, the former and controversial Principal of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital, as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has now stepped in by filing an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) concerning financial misconduct during his tenure.
According to insiders, the ECIR is being prepared based on the first information report (FIR) lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI initiated an investigation into the matter following a directive from a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court last week.
The ED, that comes directly under the Union Ministry of Finance, would thus probe into money laundering aspects, sources said.
In contrast to the CBI, the ED enjoys better flexibility in launching investigations. While the CBI needs either prior sanction from the concerned state government or an order from a court to take up an investigation, no such pre-condition is specified for the ED.
Now, with the ED entering the fray, Ghosh and his accomplices in R.G. Kar may have to face a double-layered probe-one from the CBI sleuths followed by the ED officials.
Besides Ghosh, the CBI has questioned Sanjay Vashisth, the former Medical Superintendent & Vice Principal of R.G. Kar, and Debasish Som, demonstrator, Forensic Medicine Department of the hospital.
The FIR filed by the CBI identifies Ghosh along with Maa Tara Traders, Ehsan Café, and Kham Louha as main players in the alleged financial scandal.
Sources in the CBI said Maa Tara Traders enjoyed nearly a monopoly in the supply of a range of medical equipment to R.G. Kar because of its close proximity with Ghosh.
Sources said the Central Bureau of Investigation has initiated an intensive investigation into the Gitanjali financial anomalies in the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, particularly into 15 specific cases of fund mismanagement.
The primary accusation is that contracts were awarded to private and outsourced firms without seeking prior approval from the state health department and the college council.
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