Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 9: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday arrested advertising professional Rajesh Joshi of Chariot Advertising in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy during the Goa polls.
Enforcement Directorate has arrested Rajesh Joshi, owner of Chariot Production Media Pvt Ltd, in connection with its ongoing probe into Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 money laundering case pic.twitter.com/kL1AU6Aaxy
— ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2023
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Joshi was placed under arrest under the sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and his links with regard to alleged diversion of ‘kickbacks’ for the Goa assembly polls of last year are under the scanner of the agency, they said.
The ED has alleged in a charge sheet submitted to the court that a part of the alleged Rs 100 crore ‘kickbacks’ generated in the scrapped Delhi excise policy were ‘used’ in the 2022 Goa assembly election campaign of the CM Arvind Kejriwal-led party.
Rajesh Joshi allegedly received Rs 30 crore through his advertising company Chariot Advertising for the Goa elections campaign through accused Dinesh Arora. Dinesh Arora was working closely with AAP’s Vijay Nair.
The ED has found that this Rs 30 crore was generated illegally when the new excise policy was brought in by the AAP government in Delhi. The ED, till now, has filed two charge sheets in this case and has arrested a total of eight people, including Rajesh Joshi.
On Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Punjab-based businessman Gautam Malhotra, the son of former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA and liquor baron Deep Malhotra, in connection with its money laundering investigation. Malhotra, promoter of the Oasis group of Punjab, was taken into custody under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
In the meantime, the CBI has arrested a Hyderabad-based chartered accountant (CA), understood to be the auditor of BRS MLC K Kavitha, in connection with the case.
The excise policy 2021-22 was scrapped in August last year and the Delhi lieutenant governor later asked the CBI to probe the alleged irregularities. The ED’s money laundering probe stems from the CBI FIR.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and some excise officials were named as accused in the CBI and the ED complaints.
Investigation by the ED found that acts of corruption and conspiracy in the formulation and implementation of Delhi excise policy led to the loss of at least Rs 2,873 crore to the government exchequer.
