The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has questioned Delhi’s Minister Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail regarding alleged corruption in implementing the Delhi Excise Policy.
On February 14, Satyendar Jain was questioned in the Tihar in relation to an excise matter. Jain is presently lodged in Judicial Custody in connection with another case related to a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
He has not been made an accused in the Excise Policy case. His name surfaced along with another cabinet Minister of Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
According to the concerned lawyers, Vijay Nair, who is also lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with the ED case involving the Excise policy, was also questioned by the CBI. Nair was granted bail in a CBI case by the Trial court earlier. Recently, CBI and ED have made several arrests for alleged corruption in implementing the Delhi Excise Policy.
The ED last week has also arrested Raghav Magunta, son of YSR Congress Party MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, in the Delhi excise policy money laundering case. CBI also questioned Raghava Reddy and asked whether the liquor cartel paid bribes to AAP government functionaries in Delhi through a middleman.
It was alleged that the Magunta family was running one of the liquor cartels in Delhi and had been in the liquor business for the last several years.
In the latest case involving the Delhi excise policy, the Trial Court recently remanded the auditor of Telangana CM’s daughter K Kavitha and businessman Gautam Malhotra, son of former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Deep Malhotra, to the ED and CBI, respectively.
A chartered accountant (CA) from Hyderabad, also said to be the auditor of Bharat Rashtra Samiti MLC K Kavitha, was sent for three days of CBI remand in the liquor scam.
According to the CBI, during further investigation, his (Butchibabu Gorantla) role has surfaced in the criminal conspiracy with other co-accused persons in formulating a favourable liquor policy and deriving undue benefits from the same.
The ED, in its supplementary chargesheet, stated that the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) investigation has revealed that the top leaders of the AAP created the Delhi Excise Policy, 2021-22, to generate and channel illegal funds to themselves continuously.
The ED further stated that the extent of involvement and abatement by the leaders of the AAP of the criminal activities undertaken by the accused covered in the subject Prosecution Complaint further substantiates their design and scheme of the scam.
The policy promoted cartel formations through the back door, awarded an exorbitant wholesale profit margin of @12 per cent and a huge retail profit margin of 185 per cent, and incentivized other illegal activities on account of criminal conspiracy by the top leaders of AAP to extract kickbacks from the businesses, stated the ED.
The ED revealed that it is disclosed by C. Arvind, DANICS, Secretary to Manish Sisodia, in his statement dated December 7, 2022, the draft GoM report was given to him in the mid of March 2021 when Manish Sisodia called C Arvind to the residence of Arvind Kejriwal, CM (where Satyender Jain was also present).
