Court reserves order on ED’s chargesheet against Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday reserved for June 4 its order on whether to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s supplementary charge sheet against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise scam.

The court will also decide whether to take note of the alleged offence against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the first political party which has been booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the ED.

The supplementary charge sheet has also claimed that bribes were received even from Punjab businessmen to allow them to invest in liquor trade in the national capital.

The Enforcement Directorate has claimed those businessmen from Punjab, also ruled by the AAP, who did not pay up, were forced out of their ventures in the neighbouring state.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja reserved the order after hearing the arguments advanced by the ED, which claimed it has sufficient evidence to prosecute Kejriwal in the case.

The federal anti-money laundering agency told the court that Kejriwal, the national convenor of AAP, and the party were inextricably linked to the alleged scam.

Arvind Kejriwal is the “kingpin and key conspirator” of the scam, which also involves other AAP leaders and private individuals, the ED has alleged.

It has alleged that Kejriwal was actively linked to the proceeds of crime, including using it for the AAP’s campaign for the Goa assembly elections in 2022.

The ED has claimed before the court that officials of the Punjab excise department received bribes from traders in that state to facilitate their investments in liquor businesses in Delhi.

“Certain stakeholders who were willing to invest but were not ready to accept the demands by accused persons were chucked out. There were some wholesalers in Punjab who didn’t agree to pay up and were then forced to go out of the business,” the ED told the court.

The ED alleged that co-accused Vijay Nair, former AAP media in-charge, falsely claimed to influence favorable provisions for investors in exchange for AAP funds.

The ED reported to the court that he resided near the CM residence, reported directly to Kejriwal, and

had no official government duties.

Described as Kejriwal’s endorsed representative,

Nair solicited favors from investors using party funds, according to the ED’s assertions in court.