The court will decide on June 4 whether to take cognizance of the supplementary charge sheet filed against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the money laundering case related to the liquor policy. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asserted that there is sufficient evidence to prosecute both Kejriwal and his party. After hearing the ED’s arguments, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Court reserved her decision on the matter, announcing that the verdict will be delivered on June 4.
The ED’s charge sheet alleges that bribes were taken from businessmen in Punjab in exchange for investment opportunities in Delhi’s liquor business. It further claims that businessmen from AAP-ruled Punjab who did not pay bribes were denied investment opportunities in the neighboring state’s liquor industry.
For the first time, a political party has been charged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED has informed the court that AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and his party are implicated in the alleged scam, naming Kejriwal as the main conspirator. The charge sheet also implicates other AAP leaders and private individuals.
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During a Supreme Court hearing, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju stated that there is direct evidence showing Kejriwal stayed at a seven-star hotel in Goa, with part of the bill paid by one of the accused. Raju also claimed that Kejriwal played a significant role in formulating the now-repealed Delhi Excise Policy, making him indirectly responsible for the alleged scam as AAP’s national convenor.
