Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will skip his scheduled appearance before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today to give a statement in the Delhi liquor policy case. Mr Kejriwal wrote to the ED, demanding that they withdraw their summons, calling it "illegal and politically motivated".
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief is on his way to Madhya Pradesh for campaigning as the state prepares for assembly elections scheduled this month.
The ED investigates financial crimes, including money laundering and foreign exchange violations, on a national level. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) empowers the ED to summon individuals and entities for questioning and to demand documents.
What Can The Probe Agency Do?
- The ED will issue a fresh summons to Mr Kejriwal. An individual can ignore an ED summons three times.
- After that, the agency can seek a non-bailable warrant (NBW). An NBW is a court order requiring an individual to appear before the court at a specific time and date.
- If an individual disregards an NBW, they can be arrested and brought before the court.
What Can Mr Kejriwal do?
- Mr Kejriwal can move to court to challenge the summons.
- He can also seek anticipatory bail.
The Delhi Liquor Scam
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED are investigating the now-scrapped Delhi government excise policy for 2021-22, which is alleged to have benefited certain liquor dealers. The AAP has strongly denied the allegations. Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the policy after receiving a report from the Delhi government's chief secretary.
A report cited several alleged irregularities in the liquor policy, including a Rs 144 crore waiver to retail licensees for COVID-19-related sales losses and a Rs 30 crore refund to a successful airport zone bidder who lacked a no objection certificate to open liquor stores, officials said.
Mr Kejriwal was questioned by the CBI for nine hours in April in connection with the case. AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in February this year.
