NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party benefited from the illicit funds generated through the criminal conspiracy in the Excise Policy case. The CBI claims that as the National Convenor and Overall In-Charge of AAP, Arvind Kejriwal is responsible for this. The CBI in its supplementary charge sheet, stated that the investigation has revealed that Arvind Kejriwal was involved in the criminal conspiracy related to the formulation and implementation of Delhi’s Excise Policy from the outset. It is alleged that he had a pre-conceived plan to privatize the Excise Policy and sought monetary support for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in March 2021, during the policy’s formulation by the Group of Ministers (GoM) led by co-accused Manish Sisodia. Additionally, Kejriwal’s close associate, Vijay Nair, who is in charge of Media and Communication for AAP, allegedly approached various stakeholders in the Delhi Excise Business, demanding illegal gratification in exchange for favourable adjustments to the Excise Policy. The chargesheet further alleges that Vijay Nair, who was in charge of Media & Communication for the Aam Aadmi Party and had no usual authority or reason to approach different stakeholders in the Delhi Excise Business, could not have done so without authorization and direction from Arvind Kejriwal, the National Convenor of AAP. The CBI has further alleged that the statement submitted by the Aam Aadmi Party regarding election expenditure for the Goa Assembly Elections 2022 is misleading. It is claimed that the statement only accounts for payments made through bank transactions, while substantial cash payments to various vendors, Assembly Managers, Booth In-Charges, and Volunteers engaged by AAP during the Goa Assembly Elections 2021-22 were not reported. The investigation stated that the illicit funds generated from the criminal conspiracy related to the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 were used to cover the election expenses of AAP for the Goa Assembly Elections. The CBI has stated that oral and documentary evidence show that AAP Leader Durgesh Pathak, who was the overall in-charge of AAP for the Goa Assembly Elections, managed the election-related expenditures. It is also established that Chanpreet Singh Rayat collected illicit money through hawala channels in Goa and made cash payments to vendors, Assembly Managers, Booth In-Charges, and Volunteers engaged by AAP. Rayat acted under the direction of Durgesh Pathak. The evidence states that Rayat was handling the ill-gotten money on behalf of AAP as directed by Pathak, who, being in charge of election expenditures, was aware of both the amount of money being used and its source.
