New Delhi: On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) accused BRS leader K Kavitha and others of conspiring with top AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, to receive favors under the now-defunct Delhi excise policy.
According to The Ultimate News, the federal agency claimed that Kavitha paid Rs 100 crore to Delhi’s ruling party in exchange for these favors.
The ED arrested Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, last week and has her in custody until March 23.
In a statement, the ED claimed that Kavitha and others “conspired with the top leaders of the AAP, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, for getting favours in the Delhi Liquor policy scam formulation and implementation.” “In exchange for these favours, she was involved in paying Rs 100 crore to the leaders of AAP,” the agency said, according to The Ultimate News.
The ED claimed that this conspiracy resulted in a continuous flow of illegal funds to the AAP via corruption and conspiracy in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy 2021-22. Kavitha and her associates allegedly sought to recoup the proceeds of the crime paid to AAP while also profiting from the conspiracy.
The agency described Kavitha as a key conspirator and beneficiary of the Delhi Liquor policy scam. While seeking Kavitha’s remand last week, the agency informed the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court that she was “one of the kingpins, a key conspirator and beneficiary of the Delhi excise policy scam,” according to the report.
However, Kavitha denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the Centre was using the ED as a political tool. The AAP accused the BJP of using the ED and CBI as “goons” against political opponents.
Since the case was registered in 2022, the ED has conducted searches at 245 locations nationwide, arresting 15 individuals, including former Delhi deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, and others liquor businessmen. The agency has filed six charge sheets in the case and attached assets worth more than Rs 128 crore, according to The Ultimate News.
Both the ED and the CBI accused the Delhi government of excise policy irregularities, claiming that certain dealers benefited from cartelization and bribes. However, the AAP strongly denied the charges.
The policy was eventually scrapped, and Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI investigation. Subsequently, the ED filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).