The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday while opposing a second bail plea moved by former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the liquor gate, stressed that the AAP leader was responsible for drawing up the policy. The offence of money laundering in the excise policy case could not have been possible without Sisodia, the probe agency said.
Earlier in the day, a court extended the judicial custody of Manish Sisodia till April 18 in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. The court will hear further arguments on his bail plea on April 10.
According to an Indian Express report, special counsel appearing for ED, Zoheb Hossain argued that the delay in the trial – which is used by Sisodia’s lawyers as a reason to demand bail – is being caused by the accused himself and not the prosecution.
“Over 90 applications have been moved by the accused,” Hossain told the court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja.
Hossain also told the the court that the offence of money laundering in this case could not have been possible without Sisodia.
The probe agency has alleged that wholesale distributors earned a fee of Rs 581 crore because the commission (distribution fee) was increased from 5% in the previous policy to 12% in the new excise policy which was later scrapped.
Based on the increased profits earned by wholesalers, the Supreme Court had denied bail to Sisodia in October. These excess profits amounted to Rs 338 crore.
Manish Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in February 2023, followed by the ED in March that year. In the chargesheet filed by the ED, Sisodia was named a “key conspirator” in the case.
He resigned from the Delhi Cabinet on February 28, 2023.
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