India, Aug. 19 -- Former Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) commissioner Anil Pawar - arrested last week in connection with a money laundering probe into the construction of 41 illegal, now-demolished buildings in Vasai East - cleared payments worth Rs.43.5 crore to 40 contractors over seven days after his transfer on July 17.

Most of the payments were cleared on the day after he was transferred while the remaining bills were cleared on July 22, according to information obtained by Jatin Dadhich under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

The former commissioner did not hand over charge as VVCMC commissioner for more than 10 days after July 17, when Manoj Suryawanshi was named as his replacement.

The 40 contractors, whose pay...