ED Arrests Manish Sisodia On Money Laundering Charges In Delhi Excise Policy Case

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia on money laundering charges linked to excise policy case, news agency PTI quoted officials as saying. The 51-year-old was placed under arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following his second round of questioning at the Tihar jail. Sisodia'a arrest comes a day before the hearing on his bail plea on March 10. However, his judicial custody ends on March 20.  The ED alleged that Sisodia was "evasive" in his replies and was "not cooperating in the probe" and hence was arrested. The agency is expected to obtain a production warrant from a special PMLA court and then produce him before it on Friday seeking his custody for interrogation. The federal probe agency had recorded the statement of the AAP leader for the first time on March 7 for about five hours.

Earlier on March 4, Sisodia in his bail plea, had mentioned the festival of Holi and his wife's health as the primary reasons to grant bail. However, the court didn't grant relief to Sisodia today, deferring the matter for March 10. 

Former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia arrested by Enforcement Directorate in liquor policy case: Sources

(file photo) pic.twitter.com/USUJnqrgwE — ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2023

Reacing to Sisodia's death, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said that the AAP leaders have a old habit of claiming that nothing was found in the investigation by central agencies but they fail to give any justifications on the charges of money laundering. Sisodia's arrest after a long questioning by ED shows that those guilty cannot escape from the investigation agencies.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26 in the case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD). The Special Judge MK Nagpal on March 6 remanded Sisodia to 14 days in judicial custody. 

The ED obtained a local court's permission to question the politician, who till recently was the deputy CM of Delhi, in cell number 1 of the jail.

It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers, who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP.

The policy was later scrapped and the Delhi LG recommended a CBI probe following which the ED booked a case against the same accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).