The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) request to prosecute former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and his former deputy Manish Sisodia in connection with the excise policy-linked money laundering case.
The ED, which arrested Kejriwal in March last year, filed a chargesheet against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a special court. The MHA’s sanction comes just days before the Delhi Assembly session on February 5.
Kejriwal, described by the ED as the “kingpin and key conspirator” in the alleged Delhi excise scam, has been accused in his personal capacity and as the national convenor of AAP. The federal agency alleged he colluded with Delhi government ministers, AAP leaders and others in the purported irregularities.
According to the ED, AAP, classified as an association under the Representation of the People Act, qualifies as a “company” under PMLA provisions. The agency argued that Kejriwal, as the party’s leader at the time, is liable for offenses committed under the anti-money laundering law.
The case revolves around alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of Delhi’s 2021-22 excise policy, which was later scrapped. Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena had recommended a CBI investigation into the matter, leading to the registration of a money laundering case by the ED on August 22, 2022.