Bihar: ED files supplementary charge sheet in Rs 12.63-crore PMCH procurement scam
Patna, July 7 (IANS) The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Patna Zonal Office, has filed a supplementary prosecution complaint before the Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the alleged procurement scam involving medicines, medical equipment, and other supplies at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) during the financial years 2008–09 and 2009–10.
The supplementary complaint, filed on July 6, 2026, names Om Prakash Pandey, proprietor of M/s Balajee Enterprises, and others. It has been submitted as a continuation of the prosecution complaint filed by the ED on April 28, 2022.
The ED initiated its money laundering investigation based on an FIR and a charge sheet filed by the Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB), Patna, against the then PMCH Superintendent, O.P. Choudhary, and other accused under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
According to the ED, its investigation found that during the financial years 2008–09 and 2009–10, PMCH officials allegedly conspired with several suppliers to procure medicines, chemical reagents, medical equipment, and machines at prices higher than those prescribed by the State Health Society and the State Drug Controller. The agency also alleges that these items were purchased in quantities far exceeding actual requirements.
The alleged irregularities are estimated to have caused a loss of approximately Rs 12.63 crore to the state exchequer.
The ED stated that it had earlier attached movable and immovable assets worth approximately Rs 3.14 crore belonging to Om Prakash Choudhary, Vinod Kumar Singh, Ganesh Prasad Singh, Amit Kumar Dhandhania, Bimal Dalmia, and their family members, alleging that these assets represented proceeds of crime. A prosecution complaint regarding those assets was filed in 2022, and the trial is currently underway before the Special Court.
During further investigation, the agency identified additional proceeds of crime worth around Rs 3.01 crore, which it alleges were generated by suppliers through inflated pricing and excessive supply of medicines and medical equipment in collusion with PMCH officials.
The ED said the additional assets were provisionally attached through an order dated May 7, 2025. The attachment was subsequently confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority under the PMLA in New Delhi on October 9, 2025.
Based on these findings, the agency has now filed the supplementary prosecution complaint seeking confiscation of the attached properties.
The ED has stated that the investigation remains ongoing and that further efforts are underway to trace any remaining proceeds of crime linked to the alleged procurement scam.
The allegations made by the ED will ultimately be tested during the judicial process before the Special Court under the PMLA.
–IANS
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