The Central Bureau of Investigation named Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Durgesh Pathak and four others on Monday in its fifth and final supplementary chargesheet in the liquor policy case, reported The Indian Express.
Apart from Kejriwal and Pathak, Hyderabad-based businessman Sarath Chandra Reddy, director of Buddy Retail Private Limited Amit Arora, alleged hawala operator Vinod Chauhan and businessman Ashish Mathur have been named as accused persons.
The central agency has so far charged 16 people, including former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha, in the case.
In its latest chargesheet, the agency said Kejriwal was “one of the primary conspirators” in the case, The New Indian Express reported, quoting unidentified officials.
The Central Bureau of Investigation is looking into allegations of corruption in the Delhi liquor policy case, while the Enforcement Directorate is investigating money-laundering allegations linked to the same matter.
The Central Bureau of Investigation said on Monday that kickbacks of around Rs 100 crore were paid to the Aam Aadmi Party by liquor manufacturers, reported The Hindu.
This amount was used by the party in its election campaign in Goa, the agency alleged. Pathak was the Aam Aadmi Party’s in-charge in the state during the 2022 Assembly elections in the state.
In May, the Enforcement Directorate also alleged that Kejriwal was the “kingpin” and the “key conspirator” in the liquor case.
It has claimed that members of a “South Group” had paid at least Rs 100 crore in kickbacks to leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party through businessman Vijay Nair.
The Enforcement Directorate has claimed that funds were sent to Goa through hawala transactions carried out by informal cash couriers who were allegedly linked to the Aam Aadmi Party, the South Group and Chariot Productions Media Private Limited, a company hired by the party for the election campaign.
The Delhi liquor policy came into effect in November 2021. It was withdrawn in July 2022, with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena recommending an investigation into the alleged irregularities of the policy.
The Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate have alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government modified Delhi’s liquor excise policy to ensure a 12% profit margin for wholesalers and a nearly 185% profit margin for retailers.
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