ED makes fresh arrest in Delhi excise policy money laundering case

This has come after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested businessman Gautam Malhotra in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam on Wednesday.

New Delhi:The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested advertising professional Rajesh Joshi in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy, officials said Thursday. Joshi was placed under arrest under the sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and his links with regard to the alleged diversion of 'kickbacks' for the Goa assembly polls of last year are under the scanner of the agency, they said.

The ED has alleged in a charge sheet submitted to the court that a part of the alleged Rs 100 crore "kickbacks" generated in the scrapped Delhi excise policy were "used" in the 2022 Goa assembly election campaign of the CM Arvind Kejriwal-led party. The ED, till now, has filed two charge sheets or prosecution complaints in this case and has arrested a total of eight people, including Joshi.

The ED's money laundering stems from the CBI FIR. Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and other excise officials of the government were named as accused in the CBI and the ED complaints. This has come after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested businessman Gautam Malhotra in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam on Wednesday. It was the second arrest on the same day pertaining to the same case as earlier, the CBI arrested Hyderabad-based Chartered Accountant, Butchibabu Gorantla. (With agency inputs)