NEW DELHI, Oct 4: Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh was arrested on Wednesday by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with alleged corruption in 2021-22 Delhi Excise policy, the second high-profile leader nabbed in this case.
Early Wednesday morning, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials swooped on his official residence in North Avenue and conducting searches. After day-long questioning, Singh was placed under arrest under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who is also an accused in the excise policy case, and has been arrested by the ED as well as the CBI.
Singh is expected to be produced before a local court on Thursday where the ED will seek for his custodial interrogation.
The developments led to a political slugfest between AAP and BJP with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal terming it as a desperate measure for the BJP as it stares a defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP hit back at Kejriwal accusing him of being the “kingpin” of the alleged liquor policy scam and saying that “handcuffs” are not far away.
The search and subsequent arrest of Singh comes a day after a Delhi court allowed Raghav Magunta, son of YSR Congress Party Lok Sabha member Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, and Delhi-based businessman Dinesh Arora to turn approver in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
The anti-money laundering agency had arrested Arora in July, when he was already declared an approver in a related corruption case being probed by CBI. Arora was arrested after he allegedly gave evasive replies during his questioning by the ED and was not cooperating with the investigation.
T=The ED, in a supplementary charge sheet, has accused Sisodia of receiving bribes from Amit Arora, another businessman and an accused in the case, through Dinesh Arora. The federal probe agency has described this bribe as “proceeds of crime” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
“Amit Arora paid Rs 2.2 crore to Manish Sisodia through Dinesh Arora for getting policy changes in his favour in the GoM report/excise policy 2021-22… This amount is directly a bribe/kickback to a government functionary and is proceeds of crime under section 2(1)(u) of PMLA, 2002. In this manner, Manish Sisodia participated in the generation of this proceeds of crime,” the ED said in its prosecution complaint filed in May.
It was a rare instance of an accused-turned-approver (prosecution witness) in the CBI investigation getting arrested by the ED while the two federal agencies probed the same crime.
The ED and the CBI have alleged the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who paid bribes for licences.
The ruling AAP in Delhi has strongly refuted the charge.
The excise policy was scrapped after Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe into alleged corruption.
Responding to the searches at its leader’s residence, AAP alleged that the ED has “targeted” Singh as he raised issues related to the Adani group in Parliament.
Arrested by ED sans evidence: Singh
AAP leader Sanjay Singh, in a video message recorded before his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday, said that he would continue to raise his voice against corruption and would not bow down.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday morning raided AAP Rajya Sabha member Singh’s home in connection with a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy and later arrested him.
In the video message released to the media, Singh targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP.
“I accept dying but not bowing down. I exposed Adani’s scams and filed multiple complaints with ED but no action was taken against Adani. Modi ji is losing the 2024 elections badly. They cannot win by committing atrocities and putting people in jail. I had earlier also spoken against Adani’s scams, I will continue to do so in future as well. We are (Arvind) Kejriwal’s soldiers and will not back down in the face of atrocities.” He also said the ED was forcibly arresting him without any evidence. (PTI)
