ED informs the Supreme Court that CM Arvind Kejriwal’s actions brought him down.
CM Arvind Kejriwal
CM Arvind Kejriwal: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the Supreme Court that the investigating officer “formed the satisfaction” that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is guilty of money laundering due to his refusal to be questioned during nine summonses in a case involving money laundering connected to the Delhi excise policy scam.
The ED accused the AAP of money laundering through its national convenor, CM Arvind Kejriwal, and said that the party was the “major beneficiary” of the proceeds of crime from the Delhi excise policy scandal.
“The accused, through his actions, has directly assisted and supported the investigating officer in determining whether an arrest is required in addition to the evidence the IO has to prove the petitioner’s guilt of money laundering,” the ED stated in an affidavit submitted to the highest court.
Even on the day of the search, while he was being questioned and having his statement recorded under Section 17 of the PMLA, he was evasive and completely uncooperative, even when it came to answering straightforward, non-incriminating questions. Thus, among other things, the accused’s blatant disobedience to the law was one of the factors that made the arrest necessary.
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After being viewed and reviewed by three separate judicial authorities (courts) at three different levels, the ED stated that “the material in possession of the investigating agency which formed the basis for the investigating agency to arrive at the satisfaction requisite for arresting the accused person has found judicial imprimatur and the consequential denial to grant the relief asked for by the petitioner in connection with the same.”
The primary recipient of the criminal earnings from the Delhi liquor scam is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). “In this manner, AAP has committed the offence of money laundering through CM Arvind Kejriwal and the offences thus are covered by section 70, PMLA 2002,” the affidavit stated. “Part of the proceeds of crime to the tune of cash of Rs 45 cr approx. has been utilised in the election campaign of AAP in Goa Assembly elections 2022.”
The ED document, which was filed in response to CM Arvind Kejriwal plea contesting the Delhi High court’s decision upholding his arrest, requested that Kejriwal’s petition be dismissed as “devoid of merit.”
On April 29, the Enforcement Directorate’s affidavit is anticipated to be considered by a Bench chaired by Justice Sanjiv Khanna. The Bench had previously on April 15 served notice to the ED regarding Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal plea contesting the Delhi High Court’s decision sustaining his arrest in the matter.
“the petitioner (Kejriwal) has been arrested bona fide and not for any mala fide or extraneous reasons.
The investigation agency denied the claim that his arrest was made without authorization, stating that “the petitioner’s contention is not only vague and nonspecific, but it is also baseless and ill-founded.”
According to the ED, Kejriwal was the mastermind and a major conspirator in the excise fraud, and there was evidence in its possession to support the suspicion that the AAP leader had committed money laundering.
The BJP has been calling for Kejriwal’s resignation while he has been in Tihar Jail under judicial custody, arguing that the Delhi government cannot be run from a prison. But the Delhi High Court rejected at least three Public Interest Litigations (PILs) requesting his resignation, arguing that the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi should make the final decision on the matter.
Judge Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court dismissed the Chief Minister of Delhi’s petition to challenge his arrest by the ED on April 9, indicating further trouble for the already troubled politician. She stated that there was “enough material” to support his arrest and that there was no breach of the law or rulings from the Supreme Court.
