SARNAIK SEEKS PROBE AGAINST MMRDA CHIEF FOR BREACH OF CONFIDENTIALITY

MUMBAI: In a letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday, Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik demanded an inquiry against metropolitan commissioner RA Rajeev alleging breach of confidentiality in connection with the money laundering case linked to Rahul Nanda’s security services firm, Topsgrup Security Services Limited (TGSSL) and Sarnaik.

Sarnaik alleged that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) chief shared confidential information with the media after recording his statement with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday. “A senior bureaucrat like RA Rajeev should not take a defensive stand but cooperate and provide the right information,” he wrote, adding, “Disclosing confidential information to the media after interrogation is a breach of confidentiality.”

When contacted, Rajeev did not wish to comment on it. Rajeev was summoned by ED on Tuesday, following which he interacted with media. While responding to a question regarding MMRDA reportedly having given a clean chit to Topsgrup and Sarnaik, he said, “Clean chit has not been given.” On Monday, MMRDA, in a statement, had also said that the case pertains to a period between 2014 and 2017 when UPS Madan was the metropolitan commissioner. “As the metropolitan commissioner for that period has retired, the current commissioner, RA Rajeev, will be visiting the ED office on MMRDA’S behalf, though the case pertains to his predecessor’s tenure,” the statement read.

Sarnaik pointed to this statement in his letter and said it was wrong to say this as the case pertains to the period of 2014-2017 and 2017-2020.

“RA Rajeev has been the commissioner between 2018 and 2020, so he could also have been at fault,” Sarnaik said. He also questioned if MMRDA had undertaken an internal inquiry on the matter.

SARNAIK ALLEGED THAT THE MMRDA CHIEF SHARED CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION WITH MEDIA. WHEN CONTACTED, RAJEEV DID NOT WISH TO COMMENT