AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh being taken by the Enforcement Directorate sleuths after his arrest in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. Pics/PTI and screengrabs from videos posted by AAP on X
Early on Wednesday morning, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials swooped on his official residence in North Avenue and conducting searches. After day-long questioning, Singh was placed under arrest under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)
Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who is also an accused in the excise policy case, and has been arrested by the ED as well as the CBI
Sanjay Singh is expected to be produced before a local court on Thursday where the ED will seek for his custodial interrogation
The developments led to a political slugfest between AAP and BJP with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal terming it as a desperate measure for the BJP as it stares a defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls
The BJP hit back at Arvind Kejriwal accusing him of being the "kingpin" of the alleged liquor policy scam and saying that "handcuffs" are not far away
The search and subsequent arrest of Singh comes a day after a Delhi court allowed Raghav Magunta, son of YSR Congress Party Lok Sabha member Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, and Delhi-based businessman Dinesh Arora to turn approver in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam
The anti-money laundering agency had arrested Arora in July, when he was already declared an approver in a related corruption case being probed by CBI. Arora was arrested after he allegedly gave evasive replies during his questioning by the ED and was not cooperating with the investigation
The ED, in a supplementary charge sheet, has accused Sisodia of receiving bribes from Amit Arora, another businessman and an accused in the case, through Dinesh Arora. The federal probe agency has described this bribe as "proceeds of crime" under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)
The ED and the CBI have alleged the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who paid bribes for licences. The ruling AAP in Delhi has strongly refuted the charge
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