Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been issued a summon for the fourth time by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. Kejriwal, who is also the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has been asked to depose before the central probe agency on January 18.
Kejriwal is scheduled to visit Goa for a three-day tour from January 18 to take stock of AAP’s preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Kejriwal had last week skipped ED’s third summons.
In his response to the ED’s third summons on January 3, the 55-year-old leader had said the “non-disclosure and non-response approach” of the agency cannot sustain the test of law, equity or justice and its “obstinacy” is tantamount to assuming the role of judge, jury and executioner.
He has said that he was ready to cooperate but that the agency’s intention was to arrest him and stop him from election campaigning.
He was earlier asked to appear before the probe agency on November 2 and December 21 2023.
ED wants to question Kejriwal on the formulation of the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, meetings held before it was finalised, and allegations of bribery.
It is alleged that the policy to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP.
The policy was subsequently scrapped and Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
(With PTI Inputs)
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