The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh after conducting raids on Wednesday at his residence.
ED officials on Wednesday morning raided AAP MP Sanjay Singh’s home in connection with a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy.
On Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate went knocking at the senior AAP leader’s residence after earlier having questioned members of the staff and those linked to the 51-year-old Rajya Sabha MP.
The Delhi Excise Policy probe by the ED has kept former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in jail since 26 February this year.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh has been on ED radar after the chargesheet filed against Manish Sisodia mentioned that restauranteur Dinesh Arora was ‘extremely close’ to both Singh and Sisodia.
Dinesh Arora is an accused who turned approver for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Arora was arrested by the ED in July citing that he was a key person in the Delhi Excise Policy scam.
ED claims against Sanjay Singh
According to a Hindustan Times report, the ED has claimed that Dinesh Arora had met Sanjay Singh through whom he was introduced to Manish Sisodia.
The meet happened at Mr Arora’s restaurant ‘Unplugged Courtyard.’
The ED also cited a call that they claim happened between Sanjay Singh and Dinesh Arora. Reportedly in the call, AAP MP Singh said, ‘Delhi assembly elections were coming, and AAP was in need of funds, and he should seek funding from other restaurateurs for the same.’
‘On request of Singh, he spoke to many of the restaurant owners and arranged cheques amounting to INR 82 lakh (handed over to Sisodia) for collection of party funds for upcoming assembly elections in Delhi,’ the ED charge sheet stated.
ED has also claimed that another businessman Amit Arora met AAP MP Singh through Dinesh Arora in 2020
‘The brands that Amit Arora’s business sold were relatively high-end and were highest selling brands in other states but in Delhi because of government controlled retail stores were not doing very well. By inserting a clause in the new policy, Amit Arora wanted to get a better space in the Delhi liquor business’ reported the Hindustan Times
ED claims that ‘Sisodia had assured to make changes in then proposed 2020-21 excise policy to increase the brand registration criterion for IMFL brands at the behest of Amit Arora and Dinesh Arora.’
Notably, the policy change to Delhi Excise policy was never implemented and the old policy of 2019-20 was extended.
What is the Delhi Excise policy scam?
It is alleged by the ED and the CBI that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelization and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP.
The policy was subsequently scrapped and the Delhi lieutenant governor recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the PMLA.
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