AAP used Delhi liquor scam money to fund Goa election campaign: ED

Feb 02, 2023

NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) used the money generated from the alleged Delhi liquor scam for election campaigning in Goa, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has said in its chargesheet.

The assembly election in Goa was held in February 2022 and the AAP contested 39 of 40 seats.

The central probe agency is probing the money laundering angle in the alleged liquor scheme involving Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. The case was first registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in October last year following a recommendation from Delhi L-G Vinai Kumar Saxena.

The ED in its chargesheet said the investigation of the trail of kickbacks so far has revealed that part of these funds was used in the election campaign of the AAP, India Today reported on Thursday.

According to the ED, cash payments of Rs 70 lakh were made to the volunteers who were part of AAP's survey teams and the party's then communications in-charge Vijay Nair "told certain persons involved in the campaign-related work to receive the payments in cash".

The agency further said that Vijay Nair, on behalf of AAP, received kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crore from a group comprising YSRCP MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Magunta, Aurobindo Pharma director P Sarath Chandra Reddy, Telangana CM KCR's daughter Kavitha Kalvakuntla.

Hyderabad-based businessman Abhishek Boinpally had facilitated the transfer of the said money in conspiracy with Manish Sisodia's aide Dinesh Arora.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has rejected the charge saying it was "completely fictional".

In October last year, the CBI filed a case against Sisodia and some other officers like the then excise commissioner, deputy commissioner, assistant commissioner, and 10 liquor licencees, and their associates for alleged irregularities in framing and implementation of the excise policy of Delhi.

The CBI also made some arrests in the case. Following this, the ED also filed a case to probe money laundering. In November last year, the ED arrested Vijay Nair, former chief executive officer of Mumbai-based Only Much Louder and communication in charge of the AAP, for allegedly orchestrating the scam.

Earlier this month, the probe agency filed the second chargesheet in the case, naming 12 as accused including seven companies. Those named in the chargesheet are Vijay Nair, Sharath Reddy, Binoy Babu, Abhishek Boinpally, and Amit Arora.