ED issues seventh summon to CM Kejriwal to appear on Feb 26

The Directorate of Enforcement issued the seventh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday, scheduling his appearance before the agency on February 26. This comes subsequent to the sixth summons on February 14, related to a money laundering investigation regarding alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 case, where Kejriwal was directed to participate in the inquiry on February 19.

The latest summons was issued after Kejriwal had previously disregarded the fifth summons on February 2. Earlier instances include his non-compliance with summons on January 18, January 3, November 2, and December 22, dismissing them as “illegal and politically motivated.”

The Enforcement Directorate intends to document Kejriwal’s statement concerning the formulation of policy, pre-finalization meetings, and allegations of bribery. Refusing the fifth summons, Kejriwal labeled them “illegal,” expressing his willingness to cooperate but accusing the agency of planning to arrest him and disrupt his election campaigning.

Following Kejriwal’s non-compliance with the fifth summons, the Enforcement Directorate approached a Delhi Court on February 3, citing “non-compliance with the summons.”

The case revolves around an FIR alleging irregularities in the creation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy (2021-22) by the Central Bureau of Investigation, leading to its withdrawal amid corruption allegations. In its sixth charge sheet on December 2, 2023, the ED implicated AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his alleged associate Sarvesh Mishra, asserting that kickbacks of Rs 45 crore from the policy were utilized in the AAP’s assembly elections campaign in Goa in 2022.

Notably, two senior AAP leaders, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are currently in judicial custody in connection with this case. Sisodia, the former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested by the CBI on February 26, and on October 5, the ED arrested Singh, a Rajya Sabha member.