Khunti MGNREGA scam: Executive Engineer surrenders in PMLA court

Shashi Prakash, accused in the MGNREGA scam in Khunti district along with IAS officer Pooja Singhal, surrendered before the special court of PMLA Prabhat Kumar Sharma today. The court remanded him in 14-day judicial custody in this case, which is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The ED had in July last year filed a criminal case against Pooja Singhal, then Khunti District Board Junior Engineer Ram Binod Sinha, then Assistant Engineer Rajendra Kumar Jain, Executive Engineer Jai Kishore Choudhary, and Khunti Special Division Executive Engineer Shashi Prakash.

The matter is related to the misappropriation of Rs.18.6 million in the name of implementation of MGNREGA and other programs to Pooja Singhal and others when Pooja Singhal was Deputy Commissioner of Khunti District from 16 February 2009 to 19 July 2010. She was the main authority for approving funds for various development projects.

 It is alleged that Ram Binod Prasad Sinha in connivance with his senior officers RK Jain, Jai Kishore Chaudhary, Shashi Prakash, and Pooja Singhal siphoned off funds meant for many rural projects. Shashi Prakash was the concerned Executive Engineer of the District Board.

Shashi Prakash bypassed the proper channel for transfer of funds and directly provided advance funds related to Ram Binod Prasad Sinha's project and not through R.K. Jain. Ram Binod Prasad Sinha was giving him commission to directly raise funds related to the project. Ram Binod Prasad Sinha admitted that he was giving two percent as commission to Shashi Prakash.

In a statement before the ED, Shashi Prakash claimed that he was under pressure from Pooja Singhal to transfer the advances to Ram Binod Prasad Sinha. He told ED that Ram Binod Prasad Sinha was telling him that Pooja Singhal also got 5% as commission on the disbursed fund.

The ED said that Shashi Prakash directly indulged and knowingly aided and abetted the crime of money laundering and committed the crime of money laundering.  Notably, the ED has taken up for investigation all the 16 FIRs that were registered against the junior engineer, assistant engineer and executive engineer.