The CBI has accused AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal of being involved in the “processing and approval of the manipulated excise policy” as the chief minister.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in its latest supplementary charge sheet, has alleged that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was “party to the criminal conspiracy” in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy from the outset.
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With the submission of its fifth and final charge sheet in the case, the CBI concluded its investigation, claiming that Kejriwal had a “pre-conceived idea of privatising” the excise policy, which was later scrapped following corruption allegations.
“He (Kejriwal) demanded monetary support for his party AAP in the month of March 2021, when the policy was being formulated by the GoM headed by the co-accused Manish Sisodia. His close associate and in-charge of media and communication of AAP (and) accused Vijay Nair was approaching different stakeholders of the Delhi excise business and demanding illegal gratification from them in lieu of a favourable excise policy,” the probe agency has alleged.
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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has denied the allegations. Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26 while in Tihar jail, where he was held in connection with a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The Supreme Court is yet to deliver its verdict on his petition challenging the CBI arrest.
The CBI, in its charge sheet, alleged that Vijay Nair acted as a middleman for Kejriwal to communicate with the accused members of the “South Group,” led by BRS leader K Kavitha. The agency claims Nair facilitated a payment of Rs 100 crore to Kejriwal in exchange for a favorable excise policy.
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The CBI also accused Kejriwal of being involved in the “processing and approval of the manipulated excise policy” as the chief minister. The agency further alleged that Kejriwal’s “role has surfaced in the transfer of the ill-gotten money to Goa” through two other accused, Vinod Chauhan and Ashish Mathur, using the hawala route.
The CBI has alleged that Durgesh Pathak, AAP’s Goa in-charge, was also involved in receiving and using the money obtained from the “criminal conspiracy” related to the formulation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
The agency claims that of the Rs 90-100 crore paid by the “South Group” to influence the excise policy in its favor, Rs 44.5 crore was sent to Goa to cover election expenses.
Two former Goa MLAs who ran on AAP tickets have allegedly stated that they were given cash by a party volunteer to cover campaign costs, according to the CBI.
The CBI also claims that a cartel was formed among three key stakeholders of the excise policy—liquor manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers—by violating the provisions of the policy and going against its intended purpose.
The agency further alleged that all the conspirators were actively involved in achieving the illegal goals of this “criminal conspiracy,” leading to significant losses for the exchequer and undue financial benefits for the public servants and other accused involved.
