ED claims Delhi CM Kejriwal as main figure in excise scam, AAP allegedly benefited

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has labeled Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as the "mastermind" and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as the "main beneficiary" in a new charge sheet regarding financial misconduct in the scrapped 2021-22 excise policy.

On July 9, special judge Kaveri Baweja reviewed the 208-page charge sheet, which names Kejriwal and AAP.

The ED claims Kejriwal was involved in using illicit funds during AAP's 2022 Goa election campaign and played a significant role in the alleged scam.

The charge sheet discusses ₹ 100 crore out of the total ₹ 1,100 crore involved. It alleges Kejriwal sought ₹ 100 crore in kickbacks from South Group members for liquor sale contracts, with ₹ 45 crore spent on the Goa elections.

The ED asserted that Kejriwal mentioned Vijay Nair, a former AAP communications chief and co-accused in the case, as working under ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj, not him.

It also stated that Kejriwal claimed Durgesh Pathak, the in-charge for Goa, managed the funds, and he had no role in fund decisions or received kickbacks from K Kavita, a Bharat Rashtra Samithi functionary.

Screenshots of chats between Kejriwal and Vinod Chauhan are included to show their close relationship.

The ED said numbers from hawala notes found on Chauhan's phone matched those seized by income tax officers, proving Chauhan transferred ₹ 25 crore through hawala for the Goa elections.

The charge sheet also alleged Chauhan influenced postings at the Delhi Jal Board due to his closeness to Kejriwal.

It claimed Kejriwal personally used some illicit funds, citing that Chanpreet Singh, who managed funds from Chauhan, booked a five-star hotel stay for him in Goa in November 2021.

The ED stated Singh couldn't explain this payment, describing it as a clear money trail from the South Group to the AAP elections.

The charge sheet highlighted that Kejriwal ignored nine ED summons for questioning. It claimed he gave evasive answers about over ten meetings Nair had with liquor business associates, including manufacturers, wholesalers, and middlemen like Dinesh Arora and Abhishek Boinpally.

Despite evidence of a ₹ 45 crore hawala transfer supported by phone records, income tax data, and WhatsApp messages showing cash and bill payments, Kejriwal denied knowledge of these transactions, according to the charge sheet.