AAP leaders sought 'over and above' ₹100cr in kickbacks: ED
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his former deputy Manish Sisodia, and former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) media in-charge Vijay Nair of seeking funds "over and above" ₹100 crore for election campaigns in Goa and Punjab. The allegations were made based on statements from P Sarath Reddy, an accused-turned-approver businessman. Reddy alleges that the leaders requested additional funding after his group had already given ₹100 crore to AAP for a favorable excise policy in 2021-22.
Reddy's allegations detail AAP leaders' funding requests
Reddy, the promoter of Aurobindo Group, was arrested by the ED in November 2022 but later pardoned after agreeing to become an approver. According to his statement, when his group tried to discuss issues like license fee relaxation and non-opening of shops in non-conforming areas with Nair, they received no proper response. Later, a COVID-19 waiver was given to retail zones, but Reddy's zones didn't get the expected amount of waiver.
AAP miffed after demands turned down: Reddy
Reddy then spoke to K Kavitha and others, who informed him that in addition to the ₹100 crore, Nair, Sisodia, and Kejriwal requested extra funds for election campaigns, but the demands were refused. "This miffed the AAP, and that's why, after a point Nair didn't give much attention to their issues," the statement by Reddy read.
ED alleges Kejriwal associate handled bribe money
The ED charge sheet also implicates Vinod Chauhan, a close associate of Kejriwal, in the alleged corruption. Chauhan is accused of managing the transfer of ₹25.5 crore bribe money for the AAP from Delhi to Goa. He was also allegedly responsible for managing postings of officers in the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) through Kejriwal. The ED has included chats between Chauhan and Kejriwal in the charge sheet as evidence of their association.
Kejriwal denies allegations, claims ignorance of Reddy
Notably, Kejriwal has earlier denied knowing Reddy. In a statement recorded on the day of his arrest in March, he claimed that Nair reported to Atishi Marlena and Saurabh Bhardwaj and wasn't authorized to talk to any liquor businessmen. Furthermore, Kejriwal stated that he never discussed the excise policy with any of his officers or ministers apart from it being discussed in the Cabinet.
ED's excise probe leads to multiple arrests, charge sheets
The financial crimes probe agency has so far arrested 18 people, including four politicians, in connection with the excise probe. The ED has filed eight charge sheets against 36 persons and entities and submitted thousands of documents as evidence in court. The investigation is centered around the Delhi government's 2021-22 excise policy, which was intended to revitalize the city's liquor business but was scrapped prematurely due to alleged irregularities.
