CBI Asks Ex-J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik To Answer Queries Related To Insurance ‘Scam’

NEW DELHI, Apr 21: The Central Bureau of Investigation has issued notice to former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik to answer some queries related to insurance scam, said officials. Reacting to the CBI move, Malik said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked for his presence at the agency's Akbar Road guesthouse here for “certain clarifications”. “They want certain clarifications for which they want my presence. I am going to Rajasthan so I have given them dates from April 27 to 29 when I am available,” Malik said. The CBI had examined him in connection with the alleged scam last year. Last April, the probe agency had registered two FIRs in connection with corruption allegations levelled by former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik in the awarding of contracts for group medical insurance scheme for government employees and work related to Kiru hydroelectric power project in the erstwhile state. The central agency had named Reliance General Insurance and Trinity Re-Insurance Brokers Limited as accused in its FIR related to a controversial health insurance scheme for Jammu and Kashmir government employees cleared by Malik in the state administrative council meeting on August 31, 2018. It was alleged that there were glaring deviations from the government norms in the contract awarded to Reliance General Insurance like absence of an online tender, removal of an original condition that the vendor should have experience of working in the state and companies having turnover of Rs 5,000 crore among others.
After allegations of irregularities surfaced, the scheme, which was supposed to come into operation in October 1, 2018, was scrapped, they said. In the scheme which was initially signed up with RGIC for one year, the employees and pensioners would have got Rs 6 lakh cover for themselves and five dependent family members by paying an annual premium of Rs 8,777 and Rs 22,229 for employees and pensioners, respectively.
In a sensational claim, Malik, who was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir between August 23, 2018 and October 30, 2019 had claimed that he was offered a Rs 300 crore bribe for clearing two files. After going to Kashmir, two files came to me (for clearance), one belonging to Ambani and another to an RSS-affiliated man who was a minister in the previous Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP coalition government and claimed to be very close to the prime minister, he had said.