The Enforcement Directorate on Friday has filed a chargesheet, naming Aam Aadmi Party as co-accused in a alleged money laundering case linked to Delhi Excise Policy scam.
The prosecution complaint has been filed before a special court and the accused have been sought to be charged under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), sources said.
Meanwhile, the SC has also given Arvind Kejriwal the liberty to move trial court for regular bail in money laundering case related to alleged excise policy scam. Besides, taking cognisance of the filed chargesheet, the Rouse Avenue Court will hear the matter against Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party in the liquor scam tomorrow at 2 pm.
The latest chargesheet is the eighth by the ED in this case. The ED has arrested 18 people so far including Kejriwal's party colleague and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and others. Singh was granted bail sometime back. Notably, Delhi CM was also arrested in the case but was granted interim bail by the court on May 10.
ED calls Kejriwal "kingpin"
Earlier, the ED had called Kejriwal as "kingpin and key conspirator" of the Delhi excise "scam" orchestrated in collusion with ministers of the Delhi government, AAP leaders and other persons. The probe agency has also alleged that Rs 45 crore "kickbacks", out of the Rs 100 crore "bribe" provided by the 'South Group', were used by the Aam Aadmi Party for the Goa assembly election campaign in 2022.
The development comes a day after ED told the Supreme Court that it will file the chargesheet soon. On May 16, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing on behalf of the ED, told a bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta that the agency proposed to file a prosecution complaint (charge sheet) against Kejriwal and the AAP.
The ED had informed the court while it was hearing Kejriwal’s challenge to the arrest in the aforesaid money laundering case. "We will do it shortly. It is in the pipeline," ED told the court.
SV Raju had claimed the ED has enough evidence to show that Kejriwal demanded Rs 100 crore bribe which was used by AAP in the Goa assembly poll campaign. Kejriwal, despite being the CM does not hold any portfolio. According to ED, Kejriwal, being the national convenor of the AAP, was vicariously responsible for the alleged scam. "We have direct evidence that Kejriwal stayed in a seven-star hotel, whose bills were partly paid by an accused in the case," Raju had submitted to the apex court.
Delhi Excise policy case
In the Delhi Excise policy case, the ED has alleged that the Delhi government's policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it. Although the AAP has refuted the charges repeatedly, the ED is sure of irregularities. The policy was subsequently scrapped and Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe. Followed by which the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
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