The Enforcement Directorate (ED) also joined the investigation into the alleged Delhi excise policy scam on Tuesday as it registered a money laundering case against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
The ED action comes amid amid political sparring between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the ongoing investigation of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that has already questioned a number of businessmen and is expected to soon summon officials of the Delhi excise department involved in the policy.
Sisodia is among the 15 personsa accused by the CBI in its FIR into the case. The CBI had earlier shared the copy of its FIR with the ED and ED was reported to be examining the case. It is expected that the CBI would pursue the criminal aspects of the case and the ED would follow the money trail.
The case pertains to the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. It was implemented in November last year and was scrapped on July 30 after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI inquiry into alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the policy.
It is alleged that kickbacks and commissions were involved in the making and implementation of the policy and certain license-holders were given undue advantage. It is also alleged that people in the liquor business were "actively involved in irregularities in framing and implementation of excise policy".
Earlier, it was reported that the ED was examining details of the CBI case, involvement of various government officials and private individuals and the possible trail of illegal money generated in the process before it files a formal case.
Now the ED is expected to analyse if individuals and companies who were involved in the policy making and related entities generated any "proceeds of crime under the definition of PMLA [Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002]" and if there was any possible creation of illegal or benami assets.
The AAP had termed the case as politically motivated and has claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) offered Sisodia the post of Delhi CM if he switched party. It also claimed that the BJP approached its MLAs with offers of Rs 5 crore to switch parties in an attempt to topple the Delhi government. Meanhile, the BJP has continued to press corruption allegations on AAP and Sisodia and has termed these allegations as an attempt to deflect corruption charges.
(With PTI inputs)
