New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia's PA Devendra Sharma (Rinku) was Saturday released by the Enforcement Directorate after nearly seven hours of interrogation in the Delhi liquor scam case.
Earlier in the day, Sisodia said that his personal assistant was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate after a raid at his residence in connection with the city's excise policy case. Sisodia shared the news on Twitter, saying that the BJP is "afraid of losing the upcoming election in Gujarat".
“They raided my house by filing a false FIR, searched my bank lockers, and investigated my village but found nothing against me. Today, they conducted an ED raid on my PA’s house and did not find anything, so now they have arrested him and taken him away,” the Delhi deputy CM said in a tweet. “BJP people! So much fear of losing the election,” the AAP leader attacked the BJP in the tweet.
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The ED has conducted multiple raids in this case so far. In September, it arrested Sameer Mahandru, managing director of a liquor manufacturing company named Indospirit. The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR that had named Sisodia as an accused among others. The CBI had raided the premises of the deputy chief minister and some Delhi government bureaucrats after filing the case.
The excise scheme came under the scanner after the Delhi LG recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of Delhi's Excise Policy 2021-22. The LG had also suspended 11 excise officials. Last month, Sisodia was questioned by the CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in the policy.
The Deputy CM had then claimed pressure was put on him “on the side” to leave AAP, and that he was lured with an offer to become Chief Minister. The CBI subsequently rebutted Sisodia’s allegations and said its questioning “was carried out in a professional and legal manner”.
