The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Sunday arrested Congress leader and former deputy chief minister O P Soni for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of in💧come during 2016 to 2022.
An FIR was re꧟gistered on Sunday under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act at Vigilance Bureau Police S🤪tation, Amritsar Range against Soni following investigations in the inquiry, which was ordered on October 10, 2022, a VB spokesperson said.
The spokesperson, in an official stat🌳ement, said that "during the check period from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2022, the income of the former Deputy CM and his family was Rs 4,52,18,771 while the expend🅠iture was Rs 12,48,42,692, which was Rs 7,96,23,921 or 176.08 per cent more than his known sources of income".
"During this period, accused OP Soni had made properties in the name of꧟ his w🔜ife Suman Soni and son Raghav Soni," he claimed.
The spokespersꦡon said further investig🙈ations in this case are on.
Earlier, Soni had appeared before 🍒the VB in Amritsar and joined investigation. Before demitting his of𒈔fice, he had promised to give the bureau all details of his moveable and immovable properties.
The in𝓡vestigation ꦉis a result of an anonymous complaint the bureau had received accusing Soni of amassing properties beyond his known sources of income.
In May, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested former Congress MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon for allegedly amassing "huge wealth" than his known sources of income🐓,൲ officials had said earlier.
The Chief Minister Bhagwant Ma꧟nn-led AAP government has said it has a zero tolerance policy towards corruptওion and will proceed in accordance with law against anyone who indulges in any wrongdoing.
Earlier, Congress leaders and former Punjab Ministers, including Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, haܫve faced vigilance cases under the present dispensation.
Under the present AAP dispensation, Congress leader and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi has also appeared🌄 before the Vigilance Bureau a few times in connection with a disproportionate assets case. Channi has described the probe 🗹as "totally political".
