Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal arrives at Rouse Avenue Court in the excise policy money laundering case, in New Delhi on April 1. (Image: PTI)
In a reply to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest, the ED has submitted to the court that the AAP was “the major beneficiary of the proceeds of crime generated in the Delhi liquor scam”
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal demanded kickbacks from the so-called South Group and his AAP was involved in money laundering, the ED has said in a reply to the leader’s plea challenging his arrest in a case related to a now-scrapped liquor policy for the national capital.
The Enforcement Directorate, which probes financial crimes, also repeated its charge that Kejriwal “disobeyed” multiple summonses sent to him before his arrest on March 21, and that he did not cooperate in the investigation. News18 exclusively accessed the ED’s reply submitted to the Delhi High Court on Tuesday.
The probe agency said the AAP was “the major beneficiary of the proceeds of crime generated in the Delhi Liquor Scam”. It added that parts of that money – to the tune of about Rs 45 crore – was utilised in the AAP’s campaign for the Goa assembly election in 2022. The AAP committed the offence of money laundering through Kejriwal, as per the ED reply.
The chief minister, who is in Tihar jail, and his party have rejected allegations related to the liquor policy that was withdrawn following a massive controversy. They have alleged that the central government is using probe agencies to throttle opposition voices, while the Centre has maintained that the agencies are acting against corruption and corrupt politicians.
The so-called South Group mentioned in the ED’s reply refers to a group of individuals that allegedly paid bribes for undue favours to their liquor businesses in violation of rules.
A Delhi court on Monday (April 1) sent Kejriwal to judicial custody till April 15, noting the ED’s contention that his release could hamper the investigation into the case. The BJP, meanwhile, has demanded that the CM should resign, saying the “people of Delhi deserve better”.
On Tuesday, however, 55 out of the 62 AAP MLAs in Delhi met Kejriwal’s wife and asserted that he should continue to run the government from jail and not step down. During the meeting, the AAP MLAs told Sunita Kejriwal that two crore people of Delhi stand with the CM and he should not resign at any cost.
Four MLAs are out of station while three — Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain — are in jail.
(With PTI inputs)
