Express News Service
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) filed its third prosecutions complaint (chargesheet)- the second supplementary one, on Thursday in the Delhi excise policy case.
The case relates to kickback money. The money that originated out of the policy that favoured ‘liquor lobbies’ was laundered by various middlemen to bribe government officials and politicians, particularly from the AAP.
Former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and BRS leader K Kavitha have not been named.
The chargesheet which was filed at the court of Special Judge MK Nagpal at the Rouse Avenue court premises has named Raghav Magunta, son of YSR Congress MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, Gautam Malhotra and Rajesh Joshi.
The ED informed the court that Malhota was arrested on February 7, Joshi on February 8 and Magunta on February 10. The special court at Rouse Avenue Court will hear the matter on April 14 for cognizance.
This is the third chargesheet (second supplementary) to be filed.
The ED had filed the second one on January 6 before the special PMLA court. In the second chargesheet filed in January, the ED, for the first time, had mentioned the name of Arvind Kejriwal, stating that the CM on a video call with accused number one Sameer Mahendru had claimed that another accused Vijay Nair the media manager of AAP was his trusted man.
Kejriwal, ED claimed, told Mahendru that Nair was his (Kejriwal’s) boy and that he (Sameer) should trust him and should go ahead with the discussion pertaining to the Delhi excise policy 2021-22, which was at a stage of formulation.
The second prosecution complaint (chargesheet) which runs into more than 13 thousand pages, including a complaint of 428 pages supported by voluminous documents, statements and lists of witnesses had named 12 accused including five persons– Sharath C Reddy, Binoy Babu, Vijay Nair, Abhishek Boinpally and Amit Arora who are already in Judicial custody. Seven private entities, primarily into liquor trade have also been mentioned as accused in the chargesheet.
The first chargesheet was filed by the ED in November last year naming only Sameer Mahendru, Managing Director of Indo Spirit.
In the chargesheet, the ED alleged that while irregularities in the Delhi liquor policy scam caused the government a loss of Rs 2,873 crore, the accused gained a profit of Rs 295 crore. The special court has taken cognisance of the chargesheet noting that there is substantial evidence to proceed with the case. A total of 17 accused including six persons have been named in the first two chargesheets.
The ED in the second chargesheet filed before Special Judge MK Nagpal on January 6 had said, “Vijay Nair who orchestrated this entire scam is not an ordinary worker of the AAP but a close associate of CM Arvind Kejriwal and was closely interacting with Dy CM for the Excise Policy related matters.”
The agency alleged that Nair who was staying in the bungalow allotted to Minister Kailash Gehlot said that Nair had organised Kejriwal’s meeting with Mahendru who was the MD of Indo Spirit and when it did not materialise he (Nair) arranged a video call through facetime on his phone for between the two.
ED alleged that though “Nair, in-charge of Media and Communications for the AAP, had no role on the Delhi Government in fact acted as a broker/middlemen on behalf of the top leaders of AAP for getting bribes and kickbacks from various stakeholders in the Delhi Liquor business in exchange of favourable outcomes (policy changes) in the Delhi Excise Policy of 2021-22, which was being drafted then.” Nair even threatened stakeholders that “changes desired by them may not go through entirely if they do not concede to his demands,” the ED alleged.
ED further asserted in the chargesheet that “Nair, on behalf of leaders of AAP, has received kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crores from the South Group, whose prominent persons are MS Reddy, Raghav, Magunta, Sharath Reddy and M Kavitha.” It was further alleged that South Group was represented by Abhishek Boinpally who, along with Buchi Babu and Arun Pillai facilitated the transfer of Rs 100 crore in conspiracy of Nair and his associate Dinesh Arora.
The Special Court meanwhile on Thursday took cognisance of second chargesheet filed by ED in the case on January 6, 2023, in which 12 accused were named for laundering huge amounts of kickback money that originated out of the ‘tweaked’ policy that favoured ‘liquor lobbies’ and was allegedly distributed amongst middlemen, government and politicians.
The ED further states in the chargesheet that the investigation into the kickback trail revealed that “part of these funds were used in the election campaign of the AAP for Goa Assembly elections of 2022 and cash payments to the tune of Rs 70 lakhs were made to volunteers who were part of the survey teams.”
“In order to create a continuous payment of kickback to Nair, an unheard margin of 12 % was provided to private wholesalers contrary to the recommendations of the Expert Committee headed by Excise Commissioner Ravi Dhawan,” the ED alleged.
In the second chargesheet filed in January, the ED beside the five persons–Reddy, Babu, Nair, Boinpally and Amit Arora also named seven private entities, primarily into liquor trade – Trident Chemphar Ltd, Sri Avantika Contractors (I) Pvt. Ltd., Organomix Ecosystems Pvt. Ltd., Pernod Ricard India Pvt. Ltd., KSJM Spirits LLP, Buddy Retail (TI) Pvt. Ltd. And Popular Spirits Pvt. Ltd.
In the first Chargesheet filed in November last year, Mahandru and four other entities allegedly belonging to him, Khao Gali Restaurants, Bubbly Beverages, Indo Spirits and Indospirit Distribution Ltd., were named.
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) filed its third prosecutions complaint (chargesheet)- the second supplementary one, on Thursday in the Delhi excise policy case.
The case relates to kickback money. The money that originated out of the policy that favoured ‘liquor lobbies’ was laundered by various middlemen to bribe government officials and politicians, particularly from the AAP.
Former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and BRS leader K Kavitha have not been named.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
The chargesheet which was filed at the court of Special Judge MK Nagpal at the Rouse Avenue court premises has named Raghav Magunta, son of YSR Congress MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, Gautam Malhotra and Rajesh Joshi.
The ED informed the court that Malhota was arrested on February 7, Joshi on February 8 and Magunta on February 10. The special court at Rouse Avenue Court will hear the matter on April 14 for cognizance.
This is the third chargesheet (second supplementary) to be filed.
The ED had filed the second one on January 6 before the special PMLA court. In the second chargesheet filed in January, the ED, for the first time, had mentioned the name of Arvind Kejriwal, stating that the CM on a video call with accused number one Sameer Mahendru had claimed that another accused Vijay Nair the media manager of AAP was his trusted man.
Kejriwal, ED claimed, told Mahendru that Nair was his (Kejriwal’s) boy and that he (Sameer) should trust him and should go ahead with the discussion pertaining to the Delhi excise policy 2021-22, which was at a stage of formulation.
The second prosecution complaint (chargesheet) which runs into more than 13 thousand pages, including a complaint of 428 pages supported by voluminous documents, statements and lists of witnesses had named 12 accused including five persons– Sharath C Reddy, Binoy Babu, Vijay Nair, Abhishek Boinpally and Amit Arora who are already in Judicial custody. Seven private entities, primarily into liquor trade have also been mentioned as accused in the chargesheet.
The first chargesheet was filed by the ED in November last year naming only Sameer Mahendru, Managing Director of Indo Spirit.
In the chargesheet, the ED alleged that while irregularities in the Delhi liquor policy scam caused the government a loss of Rs 2,873 crore, the accused gained a profit of Rs 295 crore. The special court has taken cognisance of the chargesheet noting that there is substantial evidence to proceed with the case. A total of 17 accused including six persons have been named in the first two chargesheets.
The ED in the second chargesheet filed before Special Judge MK Nagpal on January 6 had said, “Vijay Nair who orchestrated this entire scam is not an ordinary worker of the AAP but a close associate of CM Arvind Kejriwal and was closely interacting with Dy CM for the Excise Policy related matters.”
The agency alleged that Nair who was staying in the bungalow allotted to Minister Kailash Gehlot said that Nair had organised Kejriwal’s meeting with Mahendru who was the MD of Indo Spirit and when it did not materialise he (Nair) arranged a video call through facetime on his phone for between the two.
ED alleged that though “Nair, in-charge of Media and Communications for the AAP, had no role on the Delhi Government in fact acted as a broker/middlemen on behalf of the top leaders of AAP for getting bribes and kickbacks from various stakeholders in the Delhi Liquor business in exchange of favourable outcomes (policy changes) in the Delhi Excise Policy of 2021-22, which was being drafted then.” Nair even threatened stakeholders that “changes desired by them may not go through entirely if they do not concede to his demands,” the ED alleged.
ED further asserted in the chargesheet that “Nair, on behalf of leaders of AAP, has received kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crores from the South Group, whose prominent persons are MS Reddy, Raghav, Magunta, Sharath Reddy and M Kavitha.” It was further alleged that South Group was represented by Abhishek Boinpally who, along with Buchi Babu and Arun Pillai facilitated the transfer of Rs 100 crore in conspiracy of Nair and his associate Dinesh Arora.
The Special Court meanwhile on Thursday took cognisance of second chargesheet filed by ED in the case on January 6, 2023, in which 12 accused were named for laundering huge amounts of kickback money that originated out of the ‘tweaked’ policy that favoured ‘liquor lobbies’ and was allegedly distributed amongst middlemen, government and politicians.
The ED further states in the chargesheet that the investigation into the kickback trail revealed that “part of these funds were used in the election campaign of the AAP for Goa Assembly elections of 2022 and cash payments to the tune of Rs 70 lakhs were made to volunteers who were part of the survey teams.”
“In order to create a continuous payment of kickback to Nair, an unheard margin of 12 % was provided to private wholesalers contrary to the recommendations of the Expert Committee headed by Excise Commissioner Ravi Dhawan,” the ED alleged.
In the second chargesheet filed in January, the ED beside the five persons–Reddy, Babu, Nair, Boinpally and Amit Arora also named seven private entities, primarily into liquor trade – Trident Chemphar Ltd, Sri Avantika Contractors (I) Pvt. Ltd., Organomix Ecosystems Pvt. Ltd., Pernod Ricard India Pvt. Ltd., KSJM Spirits LLP, Buddy Retail (TI) Pvt. Ltd. And Popular Spirits Pvt. Ltd.
In the first Chargesheet filed in November last year, Mahandru and four other entities allegedly belonging to him, Khao Gali Restaurants, Bubbly Beverages, Indo Spirits and Indospirit Distribution Ltd., were named.
