Troubles seem mounting for former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested him on money laundering charges in connection with alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22 case, reported PTI.
The arrest of the senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader by the ED comes a day before the expected hearing of his bail plea before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court scheduled today. His arrest by the ED would mean that even if Sisodia gets bail in the case filed by the CBI today, the ED can seek his custody.
The CBI arrested the former education minister on February 26 in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the liquor excise policy. After the CBI’s custody ended, a Delhi court sent Sisodia to 14-day judicial custody. He is currently lodged at the Tihar jail.
The 51-year-old leader was placed under arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following his second round of questioning at the Tihar jail, official sources told the news agency. The central probe agency alleged that he was giving “evasive” replies and was not “cooperating” with the investigation.
These were the same reasons the CBI had mentioned for his arrest.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that his former deputy was being kept in jail in “false cases”. He further claimed that the ED arrested him as he would have got bail today.
“First, Manish(Sisodia) was arrested by the CBI. CBI did not find any evidence and no money was found during the raids. Tomorrow there is a bail hearing. He would have been released tomorrow. So ED arrested him today. They have only one aim — to keep Manish inside at all costs by slapping false cases. People are watching. They will reply,” Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.
The ED in its case against Sisodia alleged that its probe found that at least 36 accused, which includes the former deputy CM, allegedly “destroyed, used or changed” 170 phones to conceal evidence of “kickbacks” worth thousands of crores of rupees in the alleged “scam”.
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. The AAP has strongly refuted the charges, with Kejriwal maintaining that no proof has been found on the allegations.