The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday launched fresh raids in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy.
The searches were carried out at 35 locations in Delhi, Punjab and Hyderabad, officials said. Sources said some liquor distributors, companies and linked entities are being searched after the agency obtained some fresh leads in the case during questioning of various accused.
The ED has conducted more than 103 searches in this case till now and had also arrested Sameer Mahandru, businessman and Managing Director of liquor manufacturing company Indospirit, last month.
The money laundering case follows a CBI FIR that had named Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as prime accused along with many others. The scheme came under the scanner after Delhi L-G VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of Delhi's Excise Policy 2021-22 and suspended 11 excise officials.
The ED has questioned AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak and Minister Satyendar Jain, while the CBI has also questioned a number of suspects and arrested businessman Vijay Nair. The CBI enquiry was recommended on the findings of the Delhi Chief Secretary's report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010.
The Chief Secretary's report had shown prima facie violations, including "deliberate and gross procedural lapses", to provide post-tender "undue benefits to liquor licensees" through the policy. The excise department gave a waiver of Rs 144.36 crore to the licensees on the tendered licence fee citing Covid-19. The department also refunded the earnest money of Rs 30 crore to the lowest bidder for the licence of the airport zone when it failed to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from airport authorities.The Excise Policy 2021-22, formulated on the basis of an expert committee report, was implemented on November 17 last year and retail licences were issued under it to private bidders for 849 vends across the city, divided into 32 zones.