Raj scam: Firm denies charges, says Cong leaders didn’t benefit

After the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently registered a money laundering case against senior Rajasthan Congress leaders, the <g data-gr-id="28">accussed</g> firm claimed that they had taken no remuneration as independent Directors and did not have any ownership stake directly or indirectly.

The company claimed it had won the contract in an “open and transparent” manner.

“The contract for ‘108’ ambulance service in Rajasthan in 2009-10 was awarded to?Ziqitza Health Care Limited (ZHL) in an open and transparent tender process, in which ZHL was the lowest bidder amongst the three qualified bidders whose price bids were opened,” the firm said in a statement.

It also said Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot and son of former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Karthi, had no “ownership stake” in the company - either directly, indirectly or by way of beneficial interest at any point of time.

“Neither of them has taken any remuneration or reimbursement or claimed any expense from ZHL while they served as independent Directors of the company.

“Sachin Pilot had agreed to support ZHL because his father, late Rajesh Pilot had lost his life in a road accident. He resigned from the board of ZHL on March 18, <g data-gr-id="29">2004</g> before he filed the nomination to contest Parliament elections in 2004. Karthi P Chidambaram resigned from the Board of ZHL on February 24, 2012,” it said.

After CBI, the ED had registered a criminal complaint in the said case last week and booked former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and others on money laundering charges.

The agency has taken cognisance of the CBI FIR in this regard to register its case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and had also named Ravi Krishna, son of senior Congress leader and former Union minister Vayalar Ravi.