Delhi excise policy: Court extends ad firm director's ED custody till Feb 20

A court here on Monday extended by a week the ED custody of an advertising company director, who allegedly ran the AAP's 2022 Goa assembly polls campaign, in a Delhi excise policy-related money laundering case.

Rajesh Joshi, director of Chariot Productions Media Private Limited, was produced before Special Judge M K Nagpal, on the expiry of his four-day custodial interrogation.

The judge passed the order on an application moved by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking a 10-day extension of his custody.

The ED said that Joshi played a vital role in laundering proceeds of crime.

The court took note of the ED's submission, made by its Special Public Prosecutor N K Matta along with advocate Mohd. Faizan Khan, that Joshi was involved in the delivery or transmission of kickbacks worth around Rs 30 crore. Joshi allegedly received the amount from the south liquor lobby through hawala channels and delivered it to co-accused Vijay Nair.

Also Read: Delhi excise policy: Court sends advertising company director to ED custody till February 13

The agency told the court that his detailed custodial interrogation was required to unearth the entire process of laundering the proceeds of crime and the trail of the ill-gotten money.

It further said that he also needed to be confronted with some digital and documentary evidence.

In a charge sheet submitted in court, the ED has claimed that a part of the Rs 100 crore "kickbacks" generated in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy were used in the Goa assembly election campaign of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP.

It alleged that out of the "bribe" amount of Rs 100 crore made by the entity called the 'South Group' of liquor businessmen and politicians, Rs 30 crore was handled by Dinesh Arora, who has now turned approver, in connivance with other accused Abhishek Boinpally, Joshi and Sudhir.

The agency also said in its charge sheet that a call record analysis of Arora showed he was in touch with Joshi.

The ED, till now, has filed two prosecution complaints (the agency's equivalent of a charge sheet) in this case and has arrested several persons.

The ED's money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR filed in connection with the alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and other excise officials of the government have been named as accused in the CBI and the ED complaints.