Delhi excise policy: Advertising firm director in ED custody till Feb 13

A court here on Thursday sent the director of an advertising company, who is alleged to have ran the AAP campaign during the 2022 Goa assembly polls, to ED's custody for interrogation in a Delhi excise policy-related money laundering case.

Rajesh Joshi, the director of Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd, was produced before Special Judge M K Nagpal, who sent him for custodial interrogation till February 13.

He was arrested by the ED on Wednesday.

The agency sought his ten days' custody, saying he was required to be confronted with other accused in the case to unearth the larger conspiracy.

It said the links of the advertising company promoter with regard to alleged diversion of "kickbacks" for the Goa assembly polls in 2022 are under the scanner of the agency.

The ED alleged in a chargesheet 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 Arvind Kejriwal-led party.

It alleged that out of the "bribe" amount of of Rs 100 crore made by an entity called 'South Group' of liquor businessmen and politicians, Rs 30 crore was "handled" by another accused Dinesh Arora in "connivance" with other accused Abhishek Boinpally, Joshi and a person identified by his first name, Sudhir.

Chariot Productions, the ED said, was an entity "engaged by the AAP for related advertising and other work for their Goa election campaign for 2022 assembly elections."

"On following the money trail of part of this amount it has been found that Vijay Nair (AAP communication in-charge arrested in the case earlier) has engaged in making cash payments for campaign-related work through Chariot Productions as well as through individuals.

"So far, the money trail for cash transactions of Rs 70 lakh payment has been made, which is contiguous with the time of acquisition of these funds as found in the investigation," the ED claimed in its second chargesheet filed in the case before the court last month.

The agency had also said in the chargesheet that the CDR of analysis of Dinesh Arora shows he was in touch with Joshi.

The ED, till now, has filed two prosecution complaints (ED's equivalent to chargesheet) in this case and has arrested a total of eight people, including Joshi.

Gautam Malhotra, son of former SAD MLA from Punjab Deep Malhotra, was arrested in the case on Tuesday by the ED.

The ED's money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and other excise officials of the government were named as accused in the CBI and the ED complaints.