the “108 ambulance” scam

Jaipur court rejects CBI’s request to investigate the “108 ambulance” scam abroad

JAIPUR: The CBI’s request for a letter rogatory to visit the United States and Mauritius in connection with an alleged Rs 36 crore scam in the Jaipur “108 ambulance” case was denied by a second district judge’s bench (No. 9).
For the purpose of identifying the foreign investors of Ziqitza Health Care Ltd, which oversaw the 108 ambulance service, the CBI had requested authorization to launch an inquiry in America and Mauritius. A letter rogatory is a formal request for assistance with an investigation or prosecution from a court to a court abroad.

In this case, a chargesheet was filed in 2018 against the then-director of Ziqitza, Ravi Krishna (son of former Union minister Vayalar Ravi), the then-CEO of the company, Shweta Mangala, and the then-employee Amit Antony Alex, while an investigation was ongoing against the then-state health and medical minister Duru Miyan and others.

In dismissing the CBI’s plea, the judge stated that because the company’s office is in Mumbai, the CBI should have first requested any relevant papers from the corporation and any Indian-based departments. The CBI could have asked for a letter rogatory if the corporation had refused to give the documents. The court stated in its order that it is not required to grant every request for a letter rogatory.

Read Also:- Fastag increased toll collection from Rs 22,820 crore to Rs 50,855 crore in five years, doubling the government’s revenue

The CBI claimed that by tampering with the tender terms, Ziqitza Health Care Ltd was given the assignment to provide a free ambulance service for patients when the Rajasthan government began doing so in 2008. It stated that although some defendants had chargesheets presented by the CBI, others were still under investigation. The accused’s attorney opposed this and said that by abusing its authority, the CBI intended to conduct an inquiry outside of its purview. The court denied CBI’s application after deliberating over the arguments presented by both sides.