Case filed against Lalli in commonwealth games case

The Enforcement Directorate — in charge of hunting down tax evaders and money launderers — has filed a case against former Prasar Bharti CEO BS Lalli.

The Case has been filed under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

Lalli was put under the lens after the Prime Minister’s office issued an order to the effect in February this year, after getting a report from the Shughlu Panel probing the Commonwealth games corruption allegations.

The two-member Committee headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General V K Shunglu had recommended action against Lalli.

It apparently found the actual cost of the contract awarded to SIS LIVE “was at best” about Rs 111 crore, resulting in a profit of at least Rs 135 crore for SIS LIVE and Zoom Communications.

“The responsibility for providing undue benefit to SIS LIVE and Zoom Communications is primarily that of the then CEO, Prasar Bharti and Director General Doordarshan. They cannot be recused from the acts of omission and commission which facilitated this wrong doing,” the report allegedly said.

The contract for production and coverage of CWG last year was awarded to SIS LIVE at a cost of Rs 246 crore on the basis of a single bid as the other nine responses were either rejected or entities backed out.

The committee found that the contract was assigned by SIS LIVE to Zoom Communications for Rs 177 crore on the same day on which the contract was signed between Prasar Bharti and SIS LIVE.

SEE: PM seeks explanation from Prasar Bharti CEO