The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has filed a case against former Tamil Nadu Health Minister and senior AIADMK leader C Vijayabhaskar, accusing him of illegally acquiring disproportionate assets worth Rs 27 crore during his five-year tenure in the previous Tamil Nadu government led by the AIADMK.
The DVAC registered a case against him and has also named his wife, and further searches were carried out at multiple properties allegedly owned by him and his family on Monday, 18 October.
As per the FIR (First Information Report) registered by the DVAC, Vijayabhaskar and his wife 'illegally' acquired an amount of of Rs 27.22 crore (Rs 27,22,56,736), disproportionate to their known sources of income.
He was in possession of “pecuniary resources to the tune of Rs 6,41,91,310 on 1 April 2016, and by the end of March 2021 (after his five-year tenure) the minister had assets to the tune of Rs 57,77,11,404,” the FIR states.
According to the FIR filed by the anti-corruption body, the former Health minister bought seven tipper lorries, ten transit mixers, a JCP, a BMW car, 85.12 sovereign jewels, agricultural lands in Kanchipuram, as well as a house in Chennai during his five years as Minister of Health and Family Welfare in the AIADMK government from 2016 to 2021. Moreover, he also invested Rs 28.69 crore in many companies, the FIR adds.
The companies through which he bought assets are Rasi Blue metals, Green land Hi-tech promoters, Om Sri Vari stones, Rasi enterprises, Anya enterprises, V infrastructure, Sai Hridham Infraa.
14 Educational Institutions Run by his Family
The DVAC also states that Vijayabhaskar and his family had established a trust which runs 14 private educational institutions in Pudukottai district, alleging that these institutes aware all built using wealth illegally amassed by the former minister. Searches were conducted at many of these institutions run by his family.
The Mother Teresa Educational and Charitable Trust runs all 14 of these colleges set up using the illegally acquired wealth of the Minister, the DVAC states.
The trust runs a matriculation school, an engineering, nursing and arts and science college, a polytechnic institute, a college of agriculture, colleges for Physical Education, Paramedical Sciences, Naturopathy and Yoga Medical College, pharmacy and physiotherapy etc.
(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)