ED seeks help from Apple to access data from Kejriwal's phone in Liquor Policy Scam Case (Image Source: NDTV)
For more than a week, the officials at the Enforcement Directorate have been detaining Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning regarding his involvement in the Liquor Policy Scam. Now it has been reported that they have contacted Apple in an effort to acquire access to his iPhone.
While the Enforcement Directorate (ED) hasn’t found any electronic evidence implicating the Chief Minister through personal computers or desktops, they did seize four mobile phones, including Kejriwal’s.
On the night of his arrest on March 21, approximately Rs 70,000 in cash was discovered at his residence during the search, but it was left undisturbed.
It was noted in the case that during the interrogation, Kejriwal indicated that accessing his phone data and chats would unveil insights into the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) “election strategy” and pre-poll alliances.
Reportedly, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has reached out to Apple, the manufacturer of the phone, in an attempt to obtain access to Kejriwal’s iPhone. However, they have been informed that a password is necessary to retrieve any data.
Kejriwal informed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that he has owned this phone for approximately a year and that the device he used during the drafting of the liquor policy in 2020-2021 is no longer in his possession.
Reportedly, the Chief Minister is being interrogated for approximately five hours each day. The ED is considering requesting a four-day extension of Kejriwal’s remand, and if unsuccessful, it may opt for his judicial custody.
“The Central Bureau of Investigation, which has registered the predicate offence in the case, may also ask for his custodial remand now or can be granted this even if the Chief Minister is in judicial custody in Tihar Jail,” a top official said.
It is reported that Kejriwal informed ED investigators that he refrained from responding to the summons before his arrest on the advice of legal counsel.
According to the ED remand, Kejriwal stands accused of money laundering through the implementation of the new liquor policy and unlawfully acquiring funds totalling Rs 100 crore, with Rs 45 crore allegedly utilised for AAP’s 2021-22 election campaign in Goa.
During his detention, Kejriwal has been confronted with C Arvind, the former Personal Secretary to incarcerated Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who allegedly delivered the draft report of the Group of Ministers on the liquor policy to Kejriwal’s residence.
Kejriwal is reported to have refuted the assertion made by N D Gupta, a Rajya Sabha MP and the National Treasurer of AAP, who claimed in a statement to the ED that Kejriwal was “overall in charge” of the party and its election expenditures. Kejriwal purportedly stated that he had limited knowledge about the financial operations or the pattern of AAP’s election funding.
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