Delhi Excise Policy Case: ED Tracks ₹45 Cr AAP ‘Kickback’ Trail To Goa Poll Campaign

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) claims to have substantiated the money trail of alleged Rs 45 crore kickbacks from the Delhi excise policy scam, which were purportedly used for the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) 2022 Goa election campaign.

The ED, along with separate investigations by the CBI and the Income Tax department, asserts that the funds were laundered through a network of hawala operators and ‘angadiyas’. These informal courier services, akin to hawala, are commonly utilized by businesses in sectors like diamonds and jewellery to circumvent formal banking channels and evade taxes.

Prominent figures, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s MLC daughter K Kavitha, former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia, and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, among others, have been arrested in connection with the case. The AAP leadership refutes the allegations, with Kejriwal denouncing them as politically motivated manoeuvres by the BJP-led government to ‘destroy’ the AAP.

According to the ED, the Rs 45 crore, considered “proceeds of crime” under anti-money laundering laws, is part of a larger Rs 100 crore bribe allegedly paid by the ‘South Group’ of politicians and liquor businessmen to AAP leaders to gain advantageous positioning in the Delhi liquor market. The ED alleges that Rs 45 crore was directed towards the AAP’s Goa election campaign.

Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd, engaged by the AAP for its Goa campaign, is under scrutiny for purportedly receiving payments, some of which were made in cash through ‘angadiya’ operators. The ED’s investigation uncovered transactions amounting to Rs 45 crore transferred via hawala to Goa.

The investigation continues as the ED seeks to further establish the alleged money laundering scheme.