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 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.
Responding to the ED’s reply, the AAP branded the central agency’s charge of money laundering as “lies” saying even the Supreme Court had said no money trail has been established in the case.
The ED said the AAP was “the major beneficiary of the proceeds of crime generated in the Delhi Liquor Scam”. It said 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, it added.
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.
The chief minister, who is in Tihar jail, and his party have rejected allegations related to the liquor policy that was withdrawn following a massive controversy.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.
Calling the ED’s reply in court “just lies”, the AAP said the agency could not even provide a single evidence before the Supreme Court. The party alleged that the ED is working at the behest of the BJP as the saffron party wants to “topple the Delhi government at all costs” and wants to stop CM Arvind Kejriwal from campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections.
On Monday (April 1), a lower court in Delhi sent Kejriwal to judicial custody till April 15. The BJP has demanded his resignation, saying the “people of Delhi deserve better”. The AAP has reiterated that Kejriwal will continue to perform his duties as CM from jail. Earlier on Tuesday, 55 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.
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