Team News Riveting
New Delhi, January 15
The Union Home Ministry (MHA) Wednesday granted sanction to the Enforcement Directorate to prosecute former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his ex-deputy Manish Sisodia in the excise policy linked money laundering case.
Kejriwal, the national convenor of Aam Adami Party (AAP), had today filed nomination papers to contest the ensuing Assembly elections in Delhi. The development comes ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls on February 5.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena last month recommended the ED’s request to the Centre to prosecute Kejriwal. The federal agency has filed a chargesheet against Kejriwal before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court here last year after arresting him in March.
The MHA has recently granted the required sanction to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for prosecuting the 56-year-old politician under the anti-money laundering law in the Delhi excise policy case. Kejriwal has been made an accused in his personal capacity as well as in the capacity of being the national convener of his political party AAP.
The former Chief Minister has been charged as “kingpin and key conspirator” of the Delhi excise “scam” by the ED. It was alleged that he acted in collusion with Delhi government minister, the AAP leaders and others. The excise case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.
