According to a notification issued by the CBI, Kejriwal had been summoned to the agency’s headquarters at 11 am on Sunday to answer inquiries from the investigation team as a witness in the case, officials said.
Posted Date – Fri, 4/14/23 at 9:15pm
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New Delhi: The CBI on Friday, April 16, summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over GST policy fraud, in which his former deputy Manish Sisodia was arrested last month. According to a notice issued by the CBI, Kejriwal was summoned to the agency’s headquarters at 11 a.m. on Sunday to answer inquiries from the investigative team as a witness in the case, the officials said. The AAP called it a conspiracy and confirmed Kejriwal would appear before the agency on Sunday.
The AAP is being investigated as part of the money tracing over allegations that money raised by tweaking policies to support certain liquor distributors and Southern Lobby is suspected of being used for election purposes by the AAP, agency sources said. They said that aside from the changes at the draft stage, the policymaking process and influence of the Southern Lobby were known to the Chief Minister, making it necessary to ask him questions. Kejriwal is also likely to be asked about an “untraceable” document containing details and public comments from a committee of experts when the policy was in its early stages of development and brought the issue to a group of ministers led by Sisodia (GoM ); except that he may have spoken to a suspect in the case, they said.
The final role of Kejriwal, whether as a witness or as an accused, will be decided upon the filing of the charge sheet in the case after taking into account various factors, the sources said. As of now, the chief minister is expected to answer questions as a witness, they said. The CBI is preparing for intensive security arrangements around its headquarters, so the day of questioning has been set for Sunday, when nearby offices remain closed.
The agency employed the same tactic when Sisodia was summoned at agency headquarters, where he was questioned for eight hours before being detained. The allegations revolve around the Delhi government’s GST policy for 2021-22, which has been accused of granting licenses to wine merchants suspected of paying bribes for it, an allegation strongly refuted by AAP.
The policy was later rescinded. “There were also alleged violations, including amending excise tax policy, giving improper benefits to licensees, waiving/reducing license fees, extending L-1 licenses without approval, etc.,” a CBI spokesperson said after the meeting. The FIR is due on August 17, 2022. The CBI filed charge sheets against the seven accused on November 25 last year, but it has been keeping the main FIR charge, Sisodia, open. The GST policy for 2021-22 devised by the Delhi government aims to promote cartelization and monopoly at the wholesale level and set a profit margin of 12% for wholesalers with an advance payment of Rs 100 crore, the CBI said in the charge sheet via Dinesh Arora, said to be a close associate of Sisodia, transferred Rs 1,000 crore to Nair.
