HYDERABAD: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the Delhi liquor scam, have found that Indospirit, a liquor distributor, was made L1 (lowest bidder) for Pernod Ricard against advance kickbacks of Rs 100 crore.
According to ED officials, Vijay Nair was one of the main conspirators and facilitators in the movement of the bribe amount. Nair played an important role in formulating the policy so as to favour the cartel formation in lieu of a bribe of Rs 100 crore which is proceeds of crime, the officials alleged.
Meanwhile, a court extended the police custody of Hyderabad businessman Abhishek Boinapally and Vijay Nair by five more days to allow the ED to question them further. ED officials filed the petition seeking an extension of police custody of both accused.
ED officials said they had discovered that Nair was in the government accommodation officially allotted to Kailash Gehlot, minister for revenue of Delhi. Incidentally, Gehlot was part of a group of ministers on whose report the excise policy 2021-22 was based.
Nair had introduced himself as a senior official of Pernod Ricard and OSD to the Delhi excise department even though he was just a worker incharge of media and communication of AAP.
The excise policy document was found in the possession of a liquor manufacturer and liquor wholesalers, who were in close contact with Nair. The policy document was found in their email and WhatsApp chat on May 31, 2021, whereas the policy was released by the excise department on July 5, 2021. To take kickbacks from another wholesaler, a system of credit notes was used to get the cash out of the system, the ED said.
