ED makes another arrest in Delhi liquor scam, accused linked to AAP’s Goa election campaign

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Rajesh Joshi of Chariot Advertising, who received the kickbacks generated in the Delhi excise policy case, during the Goa polls.

The central probe agency in its chargesheet had claimed that Rs 100 crore kickbacks generated in the scrapped Delhi excise policy were used in the Goa Assembly election campaign of the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party in 2022.

Rajesh Joshi allegedly received Rs 30 crore through his advertising company Chariot Advertising for the Goa elections campaign through accused Dinesh Arora. Dinesh Arora was working closely with AAP’s Vijay Nair.

The ED has found that this Rs 30 crore was generated illegally when the new excise policy was brought in by the AAP government in Delhi. The ED, till now, has filed two chargesheets in this case and has arrested a total of eight people, including Rajesh Joshi.

On Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Punjab-based businessman Gautam Malhotra, the son of former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA and liquor baron Deep Malhotra, in connection with its money laundering investigation.

Malhotra, promoter of the Oasis group of Punjab, was taken into custody under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Meanwhile, the CBI has arrested a Hyderabad-based chartered accountant (CA), understood to be the auditor of BRS MLC K Kavitha, in connection with the case.

The excise policy 2021-22 was scrapped in August last year and the Delhi lieutenant governor later asked the CBI to probe the alleged irregularities. The ED’s money laundering probe stems from the CBI FIR.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and some excise officials were named as accused in the CBI and the ED complaints.

Investigation by the ED found that acts of corruption and conspiracy in the formulation and implementation of Delhi excise policy led to the loss of at least Rs 2,873 crore to the government exchequer.