The Delhi Court On Thursday issued summon to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on a fresh plea moved by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for not complying with the summons issued to him in the money laundering case related to the alleged liquor policy scam.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra of Rouse Avenue Courts has now listed the matter for hearing on March 16.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor has so far skipped 8 summons by the central probe agency. ED raised this fresh complaint against him for skipping last four summons under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Earlier, the ED filed a complaint against Kejriwal for not attending the first three summons issued to him in the money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. That case is also listed for hearing in that case will be held on March 16.
The Delhi CM has called all the ED summons illegal. While skipping the eigth summon Kejriwal informed ED that he could be questioned via a videoconferencing link after March 12.
In a press conference on March 4, Kejriwal said that that his party has not done anything wrong nor are they trying to hide.
AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, party communications in-charge Vijay Nair and some liquor businessmen have allready been arrested by the ED in this case.
The ED has contended that AAP used proceeds of crime to the tune of about Rs 45 crore in Goa Assembly Elections.
The Delhi excise policy was scrapped after it came under scanner for allegedly granting licences to liquor traders in a way that it allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it. The AAP has refuted these claims.
After the policy was scrapped, the Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the irregularities in its formulation and implementation. Following which, the ED registered a case under the PMLA.