ED attaches Chennai clinic's assets for bribing officials to start dental colleges
India Today
According to the Enforcement Directorate, an amount of Rs 21 lakh was used by a Chennai-based dental clinic to indulge in bribery to seek approval of medical colleges.
The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth over Rs 21 lakh of Chennai-based Cranio Facial Clinic Private Limited under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in an alleged bribery scam. The clinic's owner allegedly sought to influence officials to get permission from the Dental Council of India to start various dental colleges.
The ED had initiated the money-laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Chennai unit of the Central Bureau of Investigation against S Murukesan, a dentist, and others for criminal conspiracy. They had allegedly indulged in bribery and criminal misconduct with the officials of the Dental Council of India to recommend the grant of permission to start Asan Memorial Dental College & Hospital and Adiparasakthi Dental College & Hospital.
“An investigation into the money trail revealed that Murukesan had purchased immovable property with the ill-gotten money and subsequently sold it for profit. The funds were transferred from his personal account to the entity run by him in the name of Cranio Facial Clinic Pvt Ltd. The proceeds of crime have been quantified at Rs 1 Crore,” said the ED in a statement.
The ED has now attached Rs 21.11 lakh lying in the bank account of Cranio Facial Clinic Pvt Ltd.
Earlier, an illegal gratification of Rs 25 lakh in the same case, allegedly delivered on January 7, 2013, to Murukesan at his clinic, was attached.
