Days after AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal secured bail in the liquor policy case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday issued a summon to the chief minister in the Delhi Jal Board case. The summon has been issued for Monday (March 18) under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED is probing illegal tendering in Delhi Jal Board and laundering of alleged proceeds of crime.
The ED has also issued a 9th summons to Kejriwal in the liquor policy case and has asked him to join the probe on March 21. Kejriwal has skipped 8 summons in the case and recently secured bail from a Delhi court.
Reacting to the summon in the Delhi Board case, AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi said that nobody knows about this case and that these summons were being sent because "Prime Minister Modi has started doubting whether they will be able to arrest Kejriwal in the Excise matter case." She claimed the central agency was readying a backup plan to arrest Kejriwal.
"Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal received another summon yesterday evening by the ED. They have asked him to join some investigation related to the Delhi Jal Board. We are unaware of the case registered by the ED in this matter," she said.
In February this year, the ED raided 10 locations linked to people connected with the AAP in its money laundering probe in Delhi Jal Board. The searches were carried out at the residence of Kejriwal's personal secretary Bibhav Kumar, AAP MP ND Gupta, and former Delhi Jal Board member Shalabh Kumar among others.
The central probe agency has already arrested retired chief engineer Jagdish Kumar Arora and contractor Anil Kumar Aggarwal.
The ED probe is reportedly based on a case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleging that Arora awarded a DJB contract worth over Rs 38.02 crore to NKG Infrastructure Limited, which allegedly did not meet the technical eligibility criteria. It is alleged that NKG Infrastructure sub-contracted the work to Integral Screws, a proprietorship firm of Aggarwal.
After receiving of the funds, he transferred about Rs 3 crore to Arora through cash and bank accounts. "...bank accounts of close associates of Jagdish Kumar Arora and their relatives were used to transfer the bribe amounts. The close associate of Jagdish Kumar Arora also received the bribe in cash," the agency said as per The Hindu.