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The ED has made several claims on the relationship between accused lawyer Vinod Chauhan, arrested in the Delhi liquor scam and related money laundering cases, and Arvind Kejriwal. Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court has started hearing on the chargesheet filed against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party. Meanwhile, the ED said that it has found evidence of direct messages between Arvind Kejriwal and Vinod Chauhan, an accused in the case. The ED claimed that the messages sent also mention meeting judges. The ED says that Vinod Chauhan was handling illegally earned money.
Who is Vinod Chauhan?
The ED accused Vinod Chauhan of allegedly bribing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the Goa elections. The investigating agency said that cash worth Rs 1.06 crore has been seized from the accused. The ED also claimed in the court that Vinod Chauhan knew that this money was the proceeds of crime from the Delhi liquor scam. The accused had sent this money for the Goa elections through hawala.
Discussion on making AAP and Arvind Kejriwal accused
In the hearing in Rouse Avenue Court on the charge sheet filed by the ED on Tuesday, the ED has made Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its convenor Arvind Kejriwal the main accused. The court has fixed June 4 for the next hearing in this case. The ED lawyer says that both AAP and Arvind Kejriwal are involved in this case. Regarding the ED charge sheet, the court questioned how the Aam Aadmi Party came under the definition of a company. On this, the ED lawyer says that the word used is 'association of persons'. A political party is an organization, an association of persons. It has been held in many judgments that the formation of such an association is related to the right granted under Article 19 (1) C. The ED further said that Arvind Kejriwal is the mastermind and main conspirator of the Delhi Excise Duty Scam, in which the AAP leader and other persons have been named. The Aam Aadmi Party is actively involved in many criminal processes, including using money for election campaigns.
Mention of Vijay Nair during the hearing
During the hearing, the ED mentioned Vijay Nair and said that he had nothing to do with the excise department, but kept saying that he could get favourable provisions in exchange for funds for the Aam Aadmi Party. The ED lawyer told the court that Vijay Nair lived in a bungalow near the CM residence. During this, the ED lawyer also read the statement of Akshay Malhotra, which confirmed that Nair was reporting directly to Kejriwal. After this, the ED lawyer also cited the statement of Sameer Mahendru, which also confirmed the connection between Nair and Kejriwal. The ED said that Nair was always seen at the CM residence. He has not held any business meetings with individuals for the Delhi government.
