Kejriwal directly involved in AAP getting kickbacks, claims ED

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate chargesheet in the Delhi liquor policy case mentions that Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal was directly involved in his party receiving Rs 100 crore kickback in lieu of the policy.

As per the ED, Kejriwal conspired with the members of the ‘South Group’ and others such as Vijay Nair to receive kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crore for “providing undue benefits to private entities by way of formulating and putting in use a tailor-made liquor policy”. Nair, according to the ED, was acting on behalf of the top leaders of the AAP, including Kejriwal.

“In this manner, Arvind Kejriwal is directly, knowingly and actually involved in the generation, acquisition and possession of the proceeds of crime of Rs 100 crore,” reads the ED chargesheet.

The ED further claimed that out of this Rs 100 crore, approximately Rs 45 crore was used by the AAP for its campaign for Goa election in collusion with Kejriwal. “Arvind Kejriwal has concealed this proceeds of crime by way of using cash transfers/Hawala transfers from the point of generation till the use,” the chargesheet reads.

The ED chargesheet mentions that the money that reached Goa through hawala was managed by Chanpreet Singh, an employee of Chariot Productions. For this, Singh, who joined the AAP’s Goa campaign on a freelance basis, was paid Rs 1 lakh by the party.

The agency also cited the chats between Kejriwal and C Arvind, former secretary of AAP leader Manish Sisodia, to establish how the Chief Minister allegedly tried to misguide the investigation. The agency also claimed that a huge amount of evidence was destroyed.

The ED also mentioned in its chargesheet that Kejriwal’s close aide Vinod Chauhan directly interacted with the hawala traders.

The ED’s probe has revealed that Chauhan was responsible for transferring Rs 25 crore through the hawala route for the Goa polls. He was arrested by the agency in May this year.

The ED said that South Group’s Abhishek Boinpally allegedly gave another accused, Ashok Kaushik, two bags of cash, which went to Chauhan.

A Delhi court has taken cognisance of the ED chargesheet and issued a production warrant for Arvind Kejriwal for July 12.

Kejriwal, who has been named as the ‘kingpin’ by the ED, is the 37th accused, while the AAP has been mentioned as the 38th accused in the chargesheet. This is the first time that any national party has been named as an accused in a chargesheet filed by any agency in a corruption case.