Officials told NDTV this morning that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has received a seventh summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). On February 26, Mr. Kejriwal has been invited to appear before the investigative agency so that he can be questioned about the Delhi liquor excise policy case.
His party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), called the summons “illegal” and claimed that the case was already in court, so he skipped the ED’s sixth call on Monday.
Additionally, Mr. Kejriwal disregarded the summonses for February 2, January 19, January 3, December 21, and November 2.
Mr. Kejriwal, who has disregarded the summons due to a number of prior obligations, insists he is willing to assist the investigation team but queries the timeliness and seriousness of the request.
The BJP allegedly intended to have him arrested in order to overthrow the ED’s government in Delhi, according to the AAP, which denounced the ED’s actions as “politically motivated”.
Earlier this month, the probe agency went to a city court after Mr. Kejriwal ignored several summonses pertaining to the case.
Money laundering allegations pertaining to the Delhi liquor excise policy are being looked into by the ED. The case concerns allegations that the AAP government received kickbacks from cartels through revised alcohol sales policy, which the AAP government then allegedly used to fund election expenses in Goa and other states.
Two prominent AAP figures, namely former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, have been arrested, even though Mr. Kejriwal has not been named as an accused in the case.
