Kejriwal gets 6th ED summons in excise scam

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday issued a fresh and sixth summons to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for his questioning in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. The AAP's national convener has been asked to depose before the Central agency on February 19, the official sources said.

Earlier this month, acting on a complaint filed by the ED for disobeying ED summons in the excise policy-linked case, a Delhi court had asked the Delhi chief minister to appear before it on February 17. The court noted that, prima facie, the AAP chief is "legally bound" to comply.

In its complaint, the ED claimed that Mr Kejriwal was summoned for probe on numerous occasions in order to unearth his role and that of others and to trace further proceeds of crime in the ongoing investigation.

The agency claimed that the Delhi chief minister  intentionally disobeyed each summons and made each such omission or disobedience a separate offence.

The Central financial probe agency has alleged that the Delhi chief minister intentionally disobeyed the summons and kept on giving "lame excuses". If a high-ranking public functionary like him disobeyed the law, it would "set the wrong example for the common man”, the agency said.

This is the sixth summons in this case by the ED to the former Indian revenue service officer. He was earlier called on February 2, January 18 and January 3 this year and on December 21 and November 2 last year. The Delhi chief minister has so far skipped all five previous summonses, calling the notices "illegal".

Mr Kejriwal's name has been mentioned multiple times in the ED chargesheets in the case. The agency has said the accused were in touch with him regarding the preparation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.

Till now, the ED has arrested AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, apart from communications in-charge of the party Vijay Nair and some businessmen in the case.

The ED had claimed in its chargesheets that the AAP used "proceeds of crime" to the tune of about '45 crores in its Goa election campaign.

The agency is also expected to file a fresh supplementary chargesheet in the case and may name the AAP as a "beneficiary" of the alleged kickbacks that were generated through the excise policy.

It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP.

The policy was subsequently scrapped and Delhi lieutenant-governor V.K. Saxena recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Reacting to the ED's summons, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said, “Mr Kejriwal has not obtained any relief on his plea against the ED’s action till date. Therefore, Delhi hopes that he will accept the agency's summons and cooperate in the investigation of the liquor scam. If he still does not cooperate with the investigation, he will be disrespecting the investigation and justice system of the country."