The Enforcement Directorate on Monday questioned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's personal assistant Bibhav Kumar and AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak in the excise policy-linked money laundering case.
According to sources, the ED recorded Bibhav Kumar and Durgesh Pathak's statements under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Sources said Kumar's questioning was essential in connection with the engagements of Kejriwal. Both of them have been questioned in this case earlier too by the ED. The 55-year-old CM, also the national convenor of the AAP, was arrested by the ED in this case last month. He is currently lodged in the Tihar Jail under judicial custody.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party alleged the BJP wants to stop it from campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls after the Enforcement Directorate questioned Delhi's ruling party MLA Durgesh Pathak in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. Reacting to the development, Delhi minister Atishi said, "The BJP wants to stop the AAP from campaigning in Lok Sabha polls at any cost. This is a political conspiracy by the BJP." AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak alleged the BJP "has made a list of leaders and they want to put the entire party in jail so that they are in a solo in race".
The agency had alleged in its earlier charge sheets that at least 36 accused, including former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Kumar, "destroyed, used or changed" 170 phones to conceal evidence of "kickbacks" worth thousands of crores of rupees in the alleged scam.
The IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) of Bibhav's mobile number is stated to have been changed four times between September 2021 and July 2022, according to the ED charge sheet filed before a local court last year.
Pathak, the 35-year-old AAP MLA from Rajinder Nagar constituency, is understood to have been called by the agency for questioning in connection with the party's 2021-22 poll campaign for the Goa assembly polls.
The ED has alleged that Rs 45 crore "kickbacks", out of the Rs 100 crore "bribe" provided by the 'South Group', were used by the AAP for this campaign.The agency has claimed that cash payments were made to individuals involved in campaign activities, managed by AAP members like Vijay Nair and Pathak.
The agency informed the court that it has recorded the statements of various persons engaged in the election campaign related activities of the AAP during the Goa elections and it was found that "cash payments were made to them for work like survey workers, area managers, assembly managers etc."
"These persons and activities related to the election campaign were overall managed by Vijay Nair (former AAP communications chief arrested in this case) and Durgesh Pathak, AAP MLA", the ED had said.The summons to Pathak comes days after Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi said that the ED plans to arrest her and three more AAP leaders -- Saurabh Bharadwaj, Raghav Chadha and Durgesh Pathak. The BJP's Delhi unit has responded by sending a defamation notice to Ms Atishi and demanding a public apology.
The excise case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the liquor policy. Subsequently, the ED registered a case under the PMLA.
