The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has apprehended Chanpreet Singh, accused of managing Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) funds for the Goa assembly elections in 2022. Singh is alleged to have procured these funds through bribes related to the Delhi excise policy 2021-22. He was taken into custody on April 12 and presented before a special court on Saturday, becoming the 17th person arrested by the ED in connection with the case.
Officials familiar with the investigation revealed that Chanpreet Singh had previously been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in May 2023. It is alleged that he collected money from hawala operators and distributed it further to cover expenses incurred by AAP during the Goa elections.
According to an anonymous official, Singh managed cash payments made to survey workers, assembly managers, and others associated with AAP.
The ED informed the court on Saturday that it possesses evidence establishing a deep relationship and nexus between Chanpreet Singh and key conspirators/accused in the Delhi liquor probe, including Vijay Nair, Rajesh Joshi, certain AAP leaders, and the AAP itself.
The agency alleges that AAP received approximately ₹100 crore in bribes from the South Group, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal purportedly utilizing proceeds of crime worth around ₹45 crore from these kickbacks in AAP’s Goa election campaign in 2022.
The South Group, comprising individuals such as YSR Congress MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and Delhi businessman Sameer Mahendru, controlled nine out of 32 retail liquor zones in Delhi.
Kejriwal and Kavitha were arrested last month and are currently incarcerated in Tihar prison.
The Delhi government’s 2021-22 excise policy aimed to rejuvenate the city’s liquor business but was prematurely scrapped due to alleged irregularities. This policy aimed to replace a sales-volume-based regime with a license fee one, promising improved liquor stores and customer experiences. However, the policy faced challenges, with allegations of sabotage and subsequent probe recommendations leading to its cancellation.
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