Raghav Chadha reacts after rumours of name In ED supplementary charge-sheet

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha said he has not been made an accused or a suspect in any complaint by the central agency after he was named in the Enforcement Directorate's supplementary chargesheet in the Delhi liquor policy case. “I have not been named as an accused or even a suspect in any of the complaints filed by ED. There are no allegations whatsoever against me in the said complaints. It appears that in the complaint my name is mentioned as an attendee to some meeting, though the basis of making such an allegation is not clear,” Raghav Chadha said. 

The Enforcement Directorate has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of "using" a part of the Rs 100 crore kickbacks allegedly received from the 'south group' liquor lobby to meet its expenditure for the Goa Assembly poll campaign in 2022. The accusation has been made in the agency's supplementary charge sheet filed in the Delhi Excise policy linked money laundering case, news agency PTI reported. 

The Enforcement Directorate has arraigned as accused a media publicity company, Chariot Productions Media Pvt. Ltd., and its owner-promoter Rajesh Joshi in the prosecution complaint. A Delhi court took cognisance of this charge sheet on Monday.

"A careful perusal of findings of investigation has revealed that several persons, including Rajesh Joshi and his company Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd, are actually involved in several processes/activities connected with a part of proceeds of crime ie. the kickbacks of Rs 100 crore received from the South Group," the ED alleged.

The agency has arrested a dozen people in this case till now including Sisodia, Nair (AAP communication in-charge), Raghav Magunta, and businessmen Reddy, Pillai and Boinpally. It has questioned and recorded the statement of Kavitha and Buchi Babu, alleged to be her accountant.

It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP.

The policy was subsequently scrapped and the Delhi lieutenant governor recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the PMLA. 

(With inputs from PTI)