On Saturday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued a fresh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the fourth time to appear before the ED on January 18 for the Delhi Excise Policy case. This comes after Kejriwal skipped to appear on January 3, saying the summons issued by the ED was “illegal” and “aims to arrest him”.
Series of Summons by ED
Arvind Kejriwal had refused to appear before the ED on the two summons earlier, for November 2 and December 21, citing the reason for a 10-day visit to the Vipassana Meditation camp, situated in Punjab. Also, he stated the reasons such as the ongoing Rajya Sabha and Republic Day celebration, and attributed ED’s lack of transparency and responsiveness.
Responding to the ED, Arvind Kejriwal dubbed the summons as “illegal” and “politically motivated”. On his third summon. He said, “ED summons is also illegal and politically motivated, like the previous summons… I have spent my life with honesty and transparency. I have nothing to hide”. However, the ED has filed several charge sheets on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the connection of Money laundering that is linked with the excise policy case.
ED’s Charge Sheet on AAP and Kejriwal
The charge sheet filed on December 2, naming AAP leader Sanjay Singh, the ED claimed the AAP has used the kickbacks worth Rs 45 cr generated via the policy as a part of its assembly election campaigns in Goa in 2022. In this chargesheet, it’s alleged that some AAP leaders also personally benefited. It cites the jailed AAP leader and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, worth Rs 2.2 cr, also Rs 1.5 cr to the AAP communication in charge, Vijay Nair and Rs 2 cr to Sanjay Singh by businessman Dinesh Arora.
The investigation was taken on the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) that revealed the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 was formulated as a part of the conspiracy by the leaders of the AAP to generate and channel illegal funds to themselves and for the party. The agency has filed charge sheets against 31 individuals including Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and other private and business players.
Besides, the central agency claimed that the AAP used a part of the RS 100 cr kickbacks generated by the Delhi excise policy during the 2022 Goa campaigns. Moreover, the AAP alleges the charge sheets and summons are “political vendetta” that is used to stop the upcoming election.
Political Repercussion
Kejriwal’s repeated non-appearance before the ED could cast doubt on his integrity, potentially eradicating the public’s trust in his leadership and the AAP government. And, the ongoing investigation could attract further scrutiny from both the media and legal bodies as it’s potentially revealing and damaging the information for AAP. Moreover, the BJP can seize on this controversy to politically portray Kejriwal and his AAP as corrupt and unfit for governance, which will potentially boost their political standing.
Current Status
As of today, it remains unclear whether Kejriwal will appear before the ED in response to the latest summons. His decision will likely have significant political repercussions and add another layer of complexity to the ongoing investigation, which might change the entire scenario.
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