Court rejects Sisodia’s bail plea in money laundering case linked to excise scam

The Rouse Avenue Court on Friday rejected the bail plea of former   Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the liquor excise policy scam.

The court observed that it “is of the considered opinion that the prosecution has been able to show a genuine and prima facie case for the involvement of the applicant in the commission of the alleged offence of money laundering.”

The court also observed that “this case of economic offences has serious repercussions upon the general public and society at large as the evidence collected during investigation speaks volumes of his involvement in the commission of the said offence”.

The court noted that some evidence is also alleged to have surfaced during the investigation to show that some part of the bribe amount received from the South liquor lobby was spent or utilized in connection with AAP’s election campaign in Goa with cash payments flowing in through the hawala route. amounts transferred through hawala channels.

The above cash transfers were made as per instructions of the co-accused Vijay Nair, who was the representative of the applicant and the AAP and also the Media Incharge of AAP and looking after the work related to the said elections. He also roped in a company named M/S Chariot Productions Media Pvt. Ltd. owned by the coaccused Rajesh Joshi to do the election-related advertising work and other jobs for the party during said elections noted the court.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 9 arrested former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in the liquor policy case, after hours of questioning at Tihar Jail.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI earlier in its ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the DElhi liquor excise policy which had thrown open the retail sale of liquor to the private sector for the first time.