Liquor scam never happened, Sisodia falsely accused: Arvind Kejriwal slams ED, CBI

There is no liquor policy scam, said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday, slamming the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

He said the probe agencies lied in their affidavit and Manish Sisodia was falsely accused in the case. This came a day after the CBI summoned Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. He was asked to appear at the agency headquarters at 11 am on Sunday as a witness in the case.

Kejriwal said the ED and CBI misled the court and lied on oath to frame Sisodia. Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in February in connection with the case.

CBI SUMMONS KEJRIWAL
The CBI’s summons on Sunday comes close to two months after Kejriwal’s former deputy Manish Sisodia was arrested in connection with the case on February 26. Sisodia was arrested after eight hours of questioning.

AAP has called the summons for Kejriwal a “conspiracy” and said the central government is exerting pressure after it got a national party status. AAP leader Atishi called the summons “BJP’s formula to eliminate its opponents”.

WHAT WILL CBI ASK KEJRIWAL?

Kejriwal will likely be questioned on the Enforcement Directorate’s charge that AAP used the money generated from the alleged scam for election campaigning in Goa, said a PTI report, citing agency sources. Other things that the AAP supremo might be questioned on include an “untraceable” file containing details of the expert committee and public comments when the policy was at a nascent stage of formulation, and his possible conversation with suspects in the case.

According to the CBI, the expert committee formed under the then Excise Commissioner Ravi Dhawan had submitted its report suggesting changes in the policy on October 13, 2020. The recommendation was then put in the public domain in December that year.

The probe agency said when the report along with comments from the public was presented before a three-member GoM, it was not taken up for discussion. The file remains untraceable since then, it added.

Kejriwal knew about the process of policy formulation and the influence of the South lobby and also the changes in the draft stages, which made it necessary to question him, the sources told PTI.

KEJRIWAL AND DELHI LIQUOR POLICY
Kejriwal’s name was mentioned in the chargesheet filed by the ED where it said the Delhi CM talked to Sameer Mahendru, a liquor businessman and a prime accused in the case, over a video call and asked him to trust AAP’s communication in-charge Vijay Nair.

Nair is one of the accused in the case. As per the probe agency, Sameer Mahendru and Vijay Nair allegedly conspired with others in the Delhi liquor policy scam.

A week after the chargesheet was filed, the ED had questioned Arvind Kejriwal’s personal assistant Bibhav Kumar. The probe agency reportedly questioned Bibhav Kumar about who spoke or visited the Delhi chief minister in connection to the liquor policy.

Bibhav, Sisodia and others are accused of using, destroying and changing 170 phones to receive kickbacks worth thousands of crores in the excise policy case.

SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS AHEAD OF QUESTIONING
The CBI is bracing for an elaborate security arrangement around its headquarters and hence kept the questioning day on Sunday, when offices in the vicinity remain closed. A similar strategy was adopted when Sisodia appeared at the agency headquarters where he was grilled for eight hours before being taken into custody.