NEW DELHI: A Special PMLA court at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue on Friday took possession of the fourth prosecution complaint (charge sheet) filed by the ED naming two businessmen and a business entity in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 case in which kickback money which originated out of the policy that favoured ‘liquor lobbies’ was allegedly laundered by various middlemen to bribe government officials and politicians of Aam Adami Party.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s name is not there in the charge sheet. In the about 250-page charge sheet; supported by documents, which is the third supplementary charge sheet, the ED probing the money laundering case has named Delhi-based Amandeep Dhal and Hyderabad-based Arun Ramachandran Pillai and private company Brindco Spirit.
The charge sheet which was filed at the registry office of the Rouse Avenue court on Thursdays was placed before Special Judge MK Nagpal in the presence of special ED counsel Naveen Kumar Matta. The court will take up the matter for cognisance on May 1.
According to ED, Amandeep Dhal, owner of Brindco Spirits, was actively involved in the framing and implementation of the excise policy. He was also involved in facilitating the payoff to the AAP and its recoupment by the ‘South Group’ – a liquor lobby that benefited from the allegedly tweaked policy, through various means, the ED has alleged.
Arun R Pillai the Hyderabad-based businessman was the representative of the South Group of Liquor Traders, which was a direct beneficiary of the kickbacks from the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 scam and was also involved in affecting tweaks in the policy.