Excise policy case: Manish Sisodia changed 12 phones, ED sources say | Tech Reddy

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia has destroyed or altered at least 12 mobile phones in a span of one year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said.

The financial investigation agency will lead the investigation with these details and find out if there was any specific motive behind the repeated phone changes. The ED is now probing allegations of money laundering involving the scrapped Excise Policy 2021-22 case.

Top ED sources related to the investigation said The New Indian, “Sisodia has destroyed or modified at least 12 phones over the past few years. And we have to check whether it was done intentionally or accidentally.”

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Sources said this fact will be mentioned in the ED chargesheet that the agency will file in the court in the coming days.

The source also said the agency has not named Sisodia, who is seen as number two in AAP after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Sources also said that a charge sheet will be filed against the five accused.

Earlier, the ED alleged that during the investigation it was found that 34 accused or suspects had destroyed or altered at least 140 mobile phones worth Rs 1.2 crore with the intention of destroying digital evidence.

The ED disclosed this in the remand papers of two accused, Arvind Pharmar Sharath C Reddy and Vinay Babu of Pernod Ricard, who were arrested by the agency in the money laundering case.

It also alleged that the persons include all the main accused, liquor dealers, high-ranking government officials, Delhi Excise Minister and other suspects.

“The timing of phone changes indicates that most of the changes were made only after the scam came to light,” the ED alleged.

The development came a day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed the first chargesheet alleging irregularities in the new excise policy case registered on August 17 this year.

CBI has named AAP communication in-charge Vijay Nair, Hyderabad-based businessman Abhishek Boinpalli, Arun R Pillai, Mutha Gautham, Sameer Mahendru, MD of Indospiretis, Kuldeep Singh, then Dy. Commissioner, Excise Narendra Singh, then Assistant Commissioner, Excise Department.

Sisodia, who is also the Excise Minister, is named as accused number one in the case. The CBI also raided Sisodia’s premises on August 19, along with 30 other locations across the country in connection with the case.

The CBI filed the FIR based on a complaint received from Delhi Lt. Governor Binai Kumar Saxena, who had exposed irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy.

Apart from Sisodia, the CBI named 14 others, including three government employees – then Excise Commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna; Then Deputy Excise Commissioner Anand Tiwari and Assistant Commissioner (Excise) Pankaj Bhatnagar.

Some individuals, including AAP communications in-charge and former CEO of Mumbai-based Only Much Louder Vijay Nair; Sameer Mahendru, MD of Indospirits; Manoj Rai, a former employee of Lucknow-based Pernod Ricard; Amit Arora, Director, Gurgaon-based Buddy Retail Private Limited; Dinesh Arora, Delhi-based Mahadev Liquors; Sunny Marwah, authorized signatory of Mahadev Liquors; Arun Ramachandra Pillai of Bangalore in Karnataka and Arjun Pandey of Gurgaon are also named in the CBI FIR.

The CBI had on September 28 arrested two people, including Nair and Hyderabad-based businessman Abhishek Banipali, in the case.

The ED also told the court that the Delhi government or the Excise Department, under the influence of the accused persons, allowed the formation as well as the operation of the cartel despite sufficient information being available on public platforms to indicate cartelisation by most of the licensees. .

“This was done in return for bribes and kickbacks to Delhi Excise officials and members of the Delhi government. The new excise policy L.1 has increased the profit margins for wholesalers to 12 per cent,” it said.

“During the course of investigation, various individuals involved in the Delhi Excise scam revealed that an advance bribe of Rs 100 crore was paid by the Delhi government to grant undue favors to selected business groups,” it alleged.

The ED also said that it was also found that kickbacks and bribes were demanded and taken by Delhi excise officials for opening retail stores in Delhi.

The ED had earlier arrested Indospirits MD Sameer Mahendru on September 28.

ED has searched more than 169 places in connection with the case.