Kolkata: Two vendors – Biplab Singha and Suman Hazra – laundered money for Sandip Ghosh and he took 20 per cent commission on each tender, a CBI officer probing alleged financial irregularities by the arrested ex-principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital has said. Singha and Hazra were arrested Monday, along with Ghosh.
Investigators found that Ghosh flouted tender norms to help Singha’s Maa Tara Traders get contracts for RG Kar. Ghosh’s association with Singha goes long way back.
CBI officers are trying to find out how Maa Tara Traders, claiming to be a lab equipment supplier, bagged contracts for seemingly unrelated deals like supplying food packets, water coolers and purifiers, sound systems and microphones to the hospital.
According to norms for a tender process, “technical bids” – comprising details of company and its experience – is opened first. It assesses factors, such as compliance, quality assurance and methodology. Under the Ghosh-helmed RG Kar Hospital, the process was reportedly reversed and “financial bids” – including prices and project costs – were opened first. CBI also came to know that Maa Tara was given contracts to set up “UG skill labs” – a type of equipment – in other hospitals despite quoting much higher prices.
Hazra, who runs a medicine shop in Howrah’s Mourigram is being probed to determine whether medicines earmarked for the hospital’s patients were shown in short supply and later sold to his outlet. CBI sources said Hazra had also supplied medical equipment to the hospital.
The complaint against Ghosh was initially flagged by Akhtar Ali, former deputy superintendent of RG Kar. On Tuesday, ED, also looking into laundering allegations following a Calcutta HC order, questioned Ali for more than two hours.
