New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning in a money laundering probe related to the excise policy case. He has been asked to appear before it on February 26, official sources said.
This is the seventh time that summons were issued to the CM in this connection. Kejriwal has been skipping ED's interrogations since November last year with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) terming the summons as "illegal". The agency has already moved court against the CM for not responding to the summons.
The seventh summons were issued after Kejriwal skipped the previous interrogations on February 19. Kejriwal had earlier said that the agency should wait for the court's directives instead of issuing repeated summons.
Responding to the summons, Delhi Minister Atishi said that the agency has once again issued an "illegal" summon to the CM. "We have questioned the illegal summons that are being issued by the ED and haven't yet received any response from the agency. The entire process is illegal and only aimed to threaten AAP and Kejriwal. It is a clear attempt to seek revenge for the Chandigarh mayor poll," she said.
The agency had named AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and his aide Sarvesh Mishra in a chargesheet filed in December last year. It had alleged that kickbacks amounting to Rs 45 crore that were reportedly generated through the excise policy was allegedly used by AAP in poll campaigning in Goa in 2022. The agency claimed that AAP leaders received bribes of Rs 100 crore in connection with the policy.
The ED had claimed that the policy was Kejriwal's brainchild. Sources said Kejriwal is likely to be questioned in this regard.
The agency has submitted a total of six chargesheets in this case against 31 people including former deputy CM Manish Sisodia and AAP MP Sanjay Singh. Both Sisodia and Singh were arrested and currently lodged in Tihar jail.
The policy was introduced for the revival of the liquor business and bringing in a license fee for traders. It was scrapped after Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena ordered a probe into the alleged irregularities.
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