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New Delhi: On Monday, in a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Kejriwal was issued a summons by ED under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the Delhi Jal Board case.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also termed the summons as “illegal”. In a statement, AAP said,”Delhi CM and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal will not appear before ED today. When there is bail from the court, why is ED sending summons again and again? ED summons are illegal.”
Kejriwal was required to present himself before the agency at its office to provide his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Kejriwal is currently under scrutiny and has been summoned for questioning in the Delhi liquor policy case.
In the DJB case, the ED has claimed that funds obtained through corruption in a contract awarded by the Delhi government’s department were allegedly channelled as election funds to the AAP, the ruling party in Delhi. Kejriwal has skipped eight summonses so far. On March 17, a Delhi court granted him bail in a case initiated by the ED for failing to adhere to its summons. He has been summoned once more for March 21.
In February, the ED conducted raids at the residences of Kejriwal’s personal assistant, a Rajya Sabha MP from AAP, a former DJB member, a chartered accountant, and others as part of this probe. Retired DJB chief engineer Jagdish Kumar Arora and contractor Anil Kumar Aggarwal have been arrested by the probe agency in connection with the case.
The ED’s case is based on a CBI FIR alleging irregularities in a DJB contract awarded to a company — NKG Infrastructure Ltd — for a sum of Rs 38 crore even though the company “did not meet” the technical eligibility criteria. The ED’s investigation stems from a CBI FIR concerning suspected corruption and bribery in the DJB.
It alleges that a contract for installing electromagnetic flow meters was awarded to a company at inflated prices. The Enforcement Directorate has arrested individuals linked to the contract, alleging that kickbacks were involved in awarding the contract and these funds were subsequently used for illicit purposes, including as election funds for the AAP.
