ED to question Sisodia in Tihar Jail; one more businessman arrested in Delhi excise case

NEW DELHI: The sleuths of the Enforcement Directorate will be reaching Tihar Jail Tuesday afternoon to question Manish Sisodia for the first time in connection with the laundering of the kickback money which was allegedly generated by deliberate tweaking of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 which resulted in windfall gains to liquor traders who routed back the money to politicians, government servant and middleman as a bribe.

Also, on Tuesday morning the ED arrested another key accused allegedly involved in the laundering of kickback Arun Pillai – a Hyderabad-based businessman.  

The ED secured permission from a special PMLA Judge MK Nagpal on Monday evening to question Sisodia at the Tihar Jail premises in wake of investigations reaching a stage where the ex-chief minister of Delhi will be quizzed in connection with the laundering of the kickback money which was generated at the cost of huge losses to the Delhi Exchequer. Part of the money was also used to fund elections campaigns of AAP, the ED alleged.

Sisodia was sent to Tihar Jail in judicial custody after CBI arrested and questioned him in remand for six days in connection with the corruptions charges in which it has been alleged that Sisodia, who has been named as accused No.1 in the CBI FIR, was responsible for allowing ‘tweaks’ in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 which resulted in losses to the tune of Rs 2,873 crores to the Deilhi government while generating huge profits for the liquor traders being addressed as the South Group by the investigating agencies – the CBI and the ED.

Meanwhile, another accused Arun Pillai, who has been named in the CBI chargesheet already, was arrested by the ED Tuesday morning. Pillai, a Hyderabad-based businessman, according to ED was the person who represented the 'South Group' of liquor traders and was involved in the laundering of the kickbacks generated as bribes for favours extended to the liquor traders.  

According to ED the liquor traders of the South Group comprises prominent persons and politicians including Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, Raghav Magunta, Sharath Reddy and K Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana CM .

Pillai will be produced before the special court of Nagpal by ED Tuesday afternoon and will be seeking his custody to quiz him in custodial remand. The ED in January has already attached several properties of Pillai in Hyderabad which are estimated to be around Rs. 2.25 cr as part of its action to recover the government money which was allegedly generated as kickback laundered in the Delhi Excise scam.

The ED In January moved to freeze properties estimated to be around  Rs 76. 54 cores, belonging to Sameer Mahendru, Vijay Nair, Amit Arora and Pillai are involved in the Delhi Liquor Excise scam which has caused losses to the tune of Rs 2873 crores to the Delhi Government. The scam which allegedly took shape due to planned tweaks in the Excise policy to benefit liquor cartels, politicians and government officials is being probed by both ED and CBI for money laundering and corruption respectively.