Vijay Nair was named an accused in the FIR registered by the ED
New Delhi:
Aam Aadmi Party leader Durgesh Pathak has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in the now-withdrawn Delhi’s liquor policy.
Sources say Durgesh Pathak, who is also the party’s incharge for the upcoming civic polls in Delhi, has been summoned by the probe agency over his alleged links with an accused in Delhi Excise Policy case – Vijay Nair.
The probe agency has also seized Mr Pathak’s mobile phone and other electronic devices.
Sources added that Mr Pathak was present at the Mumbai home of Vijay Nair during a raid conducted by the ED earlier this month.
Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is number one on a list of 15 accused named in the CBI’s FIR on liquor policy violations, has questioned the timing of the ED action against Mr Pathak.
“The ED has summoned AAP’s MCD poll in-charge Durgesh Pathak today. What has our MCD poll in-charge to do with Delhi government’s excise policy? Is their target liquor policy or MCD poll?” he tweeted in Hindi.
आज ED ने “आप” के MCD के चुनाव इंचार्ज दुर्गेश पाठक को समन किया है। दिल्ली सरकार की शराब नीति से हमारे MCD चुनाव इंचार्ज का क्या लेना देना? इनका टार्गेट शराब नीति है या MCD चुनाव?
— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) September 19, 2022
Last week, the ED had raided 40 locations across multiple states as part of its investigation. This was the second round of raids conducted by the probe agency after it first searched around 45 locations in Delhi, Telangana, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka on September 6.
The Enforcement Directorate, which probes financial crimes, initiated a probe in the case after taking cognisance of the FIR filed by the CBI that has named Vijay Nair, Manish Sisodia and 13 others as accused.
The FIR says that Mr Nair, along with a few others, was “actively involved” in irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy.
The CBI had conducted raids in the case last month, covering the Delhi homes of Mr Sisodia, former Delhi excise commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna, and over 20 other locations across seven states and Union Territories.
