The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said it attached assets of jailed AAP leader Manish Sisodia, his wife Seema Sisodia, and others in connection with a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi government’s now-scrapped excise policy.
The attachment includes assets worth RS 81.5 lakh that belonged to Sisodia and his wife. This includes two flats– one worth Rs 5 lakh (in Sisodia’s name) and another Rs 65 lakh (in the name of his wife who is not an accused)– along with Rs 11.49 lakh in deposits, according to sources.
A provisional order was issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach among others immovable properties comprising two assets of former Delhi deputy chief minister Sisodia and his wife, land/flat of another accused Rajesh Joshi (director of Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd.) and land/flat of Gautam Malhotra.
The attachment also includes movable assets worth Rs 44.29 crore including Brindco Sales Pvt. Ltd. (amount of Rs 16.45 crore), and others, the ED said, adding that the total attachment value is Rs 52.24 crore.
Sisodia was arrested by the probe agency in the excise policy case in March and is currently in judicial custody.
It is alleged by the ED and the CBI that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP.
No Evidence, Says AAP
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal has accused the BJP-led Centre of defaming Sisodia by running “fake news” of the ED attaching assets worth over Rs 52 crore belonging to the AAP leader. He stated the ED has, in fact, attached properties worth Rs 80 lakh of Sisodia and his wife.
प्रधान मंत्री जी, जब आपको मनीष सिसोदिया के ख़िलाफ़ कुछ नहीं मिला तो आपने ED के ज़रिये मनीष को बदनाम करना चालू कर दिया?आपकी ED शाम से टीवी चैनलों पर झूठी खबरें चलवा रही है कि मनीष सिसोदिया की 52 करोड़ की संपत्ति ज़ब्त की गयी। ED ने असल में जो संपत्ति ज़ब्त की है, उसके काग़ज़ात… https://t.co/zabjAPfwH3
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 7, 2023
Kejriwal, who is also the AAP national convener, clarified that in reality, Rs 80 lakh worth of assets of Sisodia and his wife have been attached. These properties belong to pre-2018 period when the excise policy was not even framed. He also said that these assets have already been declared.
These include a flat in the name of Sisodia worth Rs 5 lakh, a flat worth Rs 65 lakh in the name of his wife (who is not named as an accused) and bank deposits worth Rs 11.49 lakh.
Commenting on the ED’s action, Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi explained that the two properties seized by the probe agency are two flats in Ghaziabad and Mayur Vihar, which were bought by Sisodia much before the said excise policy even existed. She also claimed the ED has “no evidence” regarding this against Sisodia.
She added that the Mayur Vihar flat was purchased in 2018 for Rs 65 lakh, while the Ghaziabad flat was acquired for Rs 5 lakh in 2005.
#WATCH | “BJP and PM Modi is trying to plant false stories against former Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia… ED’S attachment order clearly states that Manish Sisodia has Rs 11.5 lakh in his bank account. ED’s paper state that Manish Sisodia has two flats- one of them was brought 18… pic.twitter.com/WrcCYfgzaP— ANI (@ANI) July 7, 2023
These properties belong to pre-2018 period when the excise policy was not even framed, she asserted.
Another AAP leader and Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj told news agency ANI, “Along with former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia various other businessmen’s properties have been attached. The ED has found nothing against him. If there has been a corruption of crores of rupees, Sisodia should have some amount of it at least. The ED has attached those properties which he mentioned in his affidavit during the 2020 elections. It is very shameful for ED to plant this news.”
(with inputs from PTI)
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