Delhi Liquor Policy Case: AAP Used Kickbacks To Fund Goa Election Campaign, Says ED

Delhi Liquor Policy Case: Cash payments amounting to almost Rs 70 lakh were made to the volunteers who were part of AAP's survey teams in Goa, the ED chargesheet said.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), in its supplementary chargesheet filed in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case, has alleged that kickbacks received by the AAP from the alleged scam were used by the party for election campaigning in Goa. 

Cash payments amounting to almost Rs 70 lakh were made to the volunteers who were part of AAP's survey teams in Goa, the ED has claimed in the chargesheet, which has been accessed by ABP Live.

The ED said AAP's communications in-charge Vijay Nair "told certain persons involved in the campaign related work to receive the payments in cash". These cash payments were managed through hawala channels, the ED claimed. 

"Investigation of the trail of kickbacks so far has revealed that part of these funds were used in the election campaign of the AAP for Goa Assembly Election 2022," the ED chargesheet said.

In the 2022 Goa Assembly election, the AAP opened its account in the state by winning two seats.

READ | Delhi Liquor Policy Case: Court Summons All Accused In 2nd ED Charge Sheet, Sisodia Not Named

On Thursday, Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court took cognizance of the supplementary charge sheet filed by ED and summoned all five accused in the case -- Vijay Nair, Sharath Reddy, Binoy Babu, Hyderabad-based businessman Abhishek Boinapalli, and Amit Arora. 

However, ED did not name Delhi deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the chargesheet.

The ED further claimed that Vijay Nair, on behalf of AAP leaders, received kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crore from a 'South Group' comprising of Telangana CM KCR's daughter Kavitha Kalvakuntla, YSRCP MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Magunta and Aurobindo Pharma director P Sarath Chandra Reddy. 

"The South Group was represented by Abhishek Boinpally, Arun Pillai and Buchi Babu. Abhishek Boinpally had facilitated the transfer of Rs 100 crore kickback in connivance and conspiracy with Vijay Nair and his aide Dinesh Arora," the ED said.

The ED also claimed that Vijay Nair had arranged a FaceTime video call from his phone between Sameer Mahendru, chief of Indospirits, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

"Vijay is my boy, you should trust him and carry on with him," Kejriwal told Sameer Mahendru, the ED has claimed in the chargesheet.

Responding to the supplementary chargesheet, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said ED's cases were "fake".

"ED must have filed 5000 chargesheets in this government's tenure. How many of them were punished? ED's cases are fake. They don't file cases to end corruption. ED is used to poach MLAs, make and break govt. So, the ED chargesheet is pure fiction," ANI quoted Kejriwal as saying.