Dismissing allegations of corruption in the Remdesivir purchase scam made by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, the Maharashtra Lokayukta has given a clean chit to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), saying that it had not been established that there was any “corruption, irregularities or non-transparency” in the purchase of injection by them during the Covid-19 period.
“From the affidavit in reply and documents produced by the respondents, I am of the view that it has not been established and proved by the complainant that there was any corruption in the purchase of injection Remdesivir by the respondents,” Lokayutka Justice V. M. Kanade noted in his 18-page ruling.
“It is also not proved that there was irregularity and non-transparency in the purchase of this injection by them. It is abundantly clear from the documents produced by the respondents including the letter issued by the Central Government that there was a sharp variance in the purchase price of injection Remdesivir in couple of weeks after March 2021 and that was on account of the increased demand for the said injection and reduced supply by the manufacturers and dealers of the Remdesivir injection,” the Lokayutka observed.
