NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday told court that Arvind Kejriwal was intrinsically involved in the conspiracy of the excise policy case. The policy was allegedly implemented to favour private persons in a quid pro quo involving kickbacks.
The ED said the proceeds of the crime amounting to Rs 45 crore were used in the AAP poll campaign in Goa.
On Kejriwal’s role, the ED charged that he was directly involved in the formulation of the now-scrapped policy 2021-22. “The policy was being drafted considering the favours to be granted to the South Group. It was formed in collusion with Vijay Nair, Manish Sisodia and representatives of the South Group,” the ED said in its remand application.
Kejriwal’s role was evident, ED said, from the statements of two persons, C Arvind, (then secretary of Sisodia) and Buchi Babu (CA of K Kavitha). C Arvind, ED said, revealed he was handed over the draft Group of Ministers report by Sisodia at Kejriwal’s residence where former minister Satyendra Jain was also present. The document mentioned wholesale licence should be given to private players and a profit margin was fixed at 12%.
These points were never discussed in GoM meetings, ED said. C Arvind prepared a draft and handed it to Sisodia. It was later submitted before the cabinet. Certain provisions of the policy were found in WhatsApp messages retrieved from Buchi Babu’s phone two days before the policy was finalised by the council of ministers. Babu revealed, ED said, that these parts of the policy were sent to him by Vijay Nair, a Kejriwal aide.
The second direct role of Kejriwal, which ED found, was the kickbacks received from the ‘South Group’ in exchange for favours. ED says that it has the statements of some alleged members of the ‘South Group’ — Sarath Reddy, Raghav
Magunta, and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy — who later turned approvers.
