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The 300-bed Lilavati Hospital in suburban Mumbai, where the Dalai Lama and Bollywood stars get their health checked, will be the target of an investigation by the Maharashtra Government in an alleged laundering of Rs 300 crore through the hawala route.
The hospital has been in the limelight because of its high-profile clientele. In recent years though, a bitter feud between some of its trustees is being fought in the courts for control over the hospital.
The Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mr Ajit Pawar, on Wednesday announced in the State Assembly that a committee would be constituted to investigate the role of the trustees in the alleged money laundering.
Mr Pawar made the announcement while replying to a call attention motion tabled by Mr Harish Pimple and Mr Devendra Fadnavis of BJP.
The notice said that Rs 300 crore has been parked by the trustees in offshore banks such as HSBC Burma, Mauritius, Singapore, NBN Geneva and UBS Dubai. Between 2002 and 2010, the hospital claimed that it had spent Rs 500 crore on medicines but only Rs 250 crore was actually spent and the rest was diverted to foreign bank accounts, the notice said.
On paper, the hospital spent Rs 125 crore for buying medical equipment but Rs 50 crore was diverted to the accounts, it said.
Mr Fadnavis said that hawala transactions were carried out by the hospital trustees and it has been mentioned in an affidavit filed by the Centre in the Supreme Court. This is a serious matter and it needs to be investigated by agencies such as Enforcement Directorate, he said, adding that other issues relating to the hospital administration should be investigated by the Charity Commissioner.
He said that till date the State government had not carried out any investigation about the alleged money laundering and hawala transactions carried out by the hospital trustees. There is not even an investigation by the Economic Offences Wing of the Police.
The Assembly Speaker, Mr Dilip Walse-Patil, said that due importance should be given to such issues as the State government has given land at very concessional rates for the construction of the hospitals. Exemption from various duties has been granted to the hospital, he said.
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