ED cases fake, are used to topple or form govts: Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI, (PTI): AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday dismissed the Enforcement Directorate’s supplementary charge sheet in the excise scam case, alleging cases filed by the agency are ”fake” and are used to ”topple” or form governments.

He charged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) does not file cases to eradicate corruption but to help poach MLAs and topple governments.

”ED has filed 5000 charge sheets under the tenure of current government. How many people have been sentenced? All the cases filed by ED are fake and they are used to topple governments or form them,” Kejriwal said in a press conference.

The BJP slammed the AAP government saying the ED charge sheet exposed the real face of Kejriwal and his party.

”The liquor mafia paid Rs 100 crore on being asked by Kejriwal, through communication incharge of the party Vijay Nair, for Goa elections. Kejriwal through a facetime video asked liquor mafia to pay Rs 100 crore to Nair,” BJP MP Manoj Tiwari alleged.

This is the real face of Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he said, citing the ED charge sheet. ”Indulgence in corruption by Kejriwal and use of money paid by liquor mafia was perhaps a sin that caused the defeat of AAP in the Goa elections and the Delhi people will not forgive them for it,” he said.

In its charge sheet, the ED has alleged that a close aide of Kejriwal received kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crore from a group, on behalf of AAP leaders.

”Investigation of the trail of this kickback so far has revealed that part of these funds were used in the election campaign of the AAP for Goa assembly elections 2022. Cash payments to the tune of Rs 70 lakh were made to the volunteers who were part of the survey teams,” the ED said.

The court took cognisance of the supplementary charge sheet filed by the ED against five individuals and seven companies in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy, which was withdrawn last year by the AAP government after a CBI probe was recommended into alleged corruption in its implementation. (PTI)