Kejriwal arrest: ED says 'kickbacks' used in AAP's Goa campaign also detected by I-T, CBI

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has told a PMLA court that the money trail of the alleged Rs 45 crore kickbacks generated from the Delhi excise policy "scam" and used for the 2022 Goa election campaign by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also been "substantiated" by the CBI and the Income-Tax department in their probes, news agency PTI reported on Sunday. 

The ED has arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi excise policy case. The central probe agency recently told the court that Kejriwal was the kingpin of the alleged scam. According to the agency, Kejriwal demanded Rs 100 crore from the South Group, and part of this money - Rs 45 crore - was used by the AAP in the Goa elections. 

The probe agency recorded statements of five 'Angadiya' firm operators to establish the "money trail" of this alleged Rs 45 crore bribe amount. 'Angadiyas' are informal courier and bank services like Hawala which are especially used by diamond and jewellery sector businesses to transfer big cash amounts.  

The agency has claimed that the AAP spent Rs 45 crore, part of kickbacks, in its Goa election campaign. As per the details of the probe shared by the ED with the court, the AAP engaged a company called, Chariot Productions Media Pvt. Ltd. for its election campaign in Goa during 2021-22. 

"On examination of the vendors of Chariot Productions engaged for outdoor campaigns, it was found that many of the vendors were made 'part cash part bill' payments...," the agency claimed in its court papers. It also said that an employee of one such vendor company has recorded his statement with the ED saying he was given Rs 6.29 lakh payment "via Hawala" from an 'Angadiya' operator in Mumbai. 

The ED recorded the statement of an employee of the said 'Angadiya' operator, R Kantilal, where it was found that the Income-Tax department had raided their Goa office in January 2022 and all their documents, notes, chits, and slips were seized by the taxman during these searches. 

The agency approached the tax department and retrieved the data of this 'Angadiya' firm and its analysis "shows that about Rs 45 crore has been transferred through Hawala to Goa". 

"This Hawala trail of about Rs 45 crore was also investigated and substantiated by the predicate agency CBI and the same were duly mentioned by CBI in its second supplementary chargesheet filed before a special court on 08.07.2023," the ED said. 

The ED filed its money laundering case to probe alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy of 2021-22 on August 22, 2022, taking cognisance of a CBI FIR lodged on August 17, 2022. 

The agency has charged the AAP, the ruling party of Delhi, of "committing the offence of money laundering through Arvind Kejriwal". 

A money trail of cash funds of Rs 25 crore, transferred allegedly through Hawala by Raghav Magunta, son of Lok Sabha MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, to BRS leader K Kavitha and her associates in Chennai has also been tracked by the ED. 

Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy is a prominent liquor businessman in south India and the sitting YSRCP MP from Ongole. The Maguntas, K Kavitha, and businessman Sarath Reddy are alleged to be part of the 'South Group'. 

The ED has also arrested K Kavitha, who is currently in jail. The agency claims that Kavitha conspired with Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and other AAP leaders to get favours in the excise policy and implementation.

"She was involved in paying Rs. 100 crore to the leaders of AAP. By the acts of corruption and conspiracy in the formulation and implementation of Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, a continuous stream of illegal 
funds in the form of kickback, from the wholesalers was generated for the AAP."

(With inputs from PTI)