New Delhi: In the latest development in the Delhi excise policy scam, the Enforcement Directorate on Monday questioned Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's personal assistant Bibhav Kumar and AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak while the AAP alleged that the BJP wants to stop it from campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls.
Official sources said their statements have been recorded under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Both have been questioned in this case earlier too by the Central financial probe agency.
The sources further said Mr Kumar's questioning was essential in connection with the engagements of Mr Kejriwal. The 55-year-old CM, also the national convenor of the AAP, was arrested by the ED in this case on March 21 and he is now lodged in the Tihar Jail in judicial custody. The Central agency has repeatedly called him the “kingpin" of the alleged scam.
The ED alleged in its earlier chargesheets that at least 36 accused, including former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Mr Kumar, “destroyed, used or changed” 170 phones to conceal evidence of “kickbacks” worth thousands of crores of rupees in the alleged scam.
The IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) of Bibhav Kumar’s mobile number is said to have been changed four times between September 2021 and July 2022, says the ED chargesheet filed before a local court last year.
Mr Pathak, 35-year-old AAP MLA from Rajinder Nagar, is learnt to have been called by the agency for questioning over the party’s 2021-22 campaign for the Goa Assembly polls.
The sources said Durgesh Pathak’s name appeared in some statements related to cash payments in the February 2022 Goa Assembly elections.
The ED has alleged Rs 45 crores in “kickbacks”, out of the Rs 100 crores “bribe” provided by the “South Group”, were used by the AAP for the Goa campaign.
The agency has claimed that cash payments were made to individuals involved in campaign activities, managed by AAP members like Vijay Nair and Mr Pathak.
The agency informed the court it recorded the statements of various persons engaged in the election campaign related activities of the AAP during the Goa elections and it was found that “cash payments were made to them for work like survey workers, area managers, assembly managers etc”.
“These persons and activities related to the election campaign were overall managed by Vijay Nair (former AAP communications chief arrested in this case) and Durgesh Pathak, AAP MLA”, the ED had said.
Reacting to the development, Delhi government minister Atishi said: “The BJP wants to stop the AAP from campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls at any cost. This is a political conspiracy by the BJP.”
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak alleged that the BJP “has made a list of leaders … and they want to put the entire party in jail so that they are in a solo race”.
The excise case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. Delhi lieutenant-governor V.K. Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the liquor policy. Subsequently, the ED also registered a case under the PMLA.
