Days After Arvind Kejriwal Arrest, Probe Agency Questions Delhi Minister

New Delhi: 

Delhi minister and AAP leader Kailash Gahlot has been called for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case linked to the Delhi liquor policy. Mr Gahlot is currently the minister for home, transport, and law in the Delhi government.

Mr Gahlot has already reached the probe agency's office.

The summons come just days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in the case.ED sources say Kailash Gahlot has been asked to appear for questioning in the case and getting his statement recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The 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.

The ED claims the policy provided an impossibly high profit margin of nearly 185 per cent for retailers and 12 per cent for wholesalers. Of the latter, six per cent - over ₹ 600 crore - was recovered as bribes and the money was allegedly used to fund the Goa and Punjab poll campaigns, the agency claims.This group is alleged to have given ₹ 100-crore kickbacks to the AAP and its leaders.

The ED has also alleged in its chargesheet that Mr Gahlot handled a single SIM number but his IMEI (international mobile equipment identity) was changed thrice.

Three top Aam Aadmi Party leaders including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have been arrested in the Delhi liquor policy case. The other two are AAP MP Sanjay Singh and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

K Kavitha, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, is also in jail.