Manish Sisodia

Sisodia Requests CBI To Defer Questioning Till Feb-End

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who was summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday for questioning in regard to irregularities in the excise policy case, requested the central agency to defer questioning saying that he is “preparing the budget” at present and can only appear before it towards February-end.

“I will visit the CBI office by the end of February, whenever they (CBI) will call me. Being the Finance Minister of Delhi, preparing the budget is very important, so I have requested to shift the date. I have always cooperated with these agencies,” said Sisodia.

Meanwhile, CBI is investigating the case at the request of Manish Sisodia.

Manish Sisodia was called by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office in the national capital today in connection with Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 money laundering case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has again summoned Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia for questioning, nearly three months after filing a chargesheet in the Delhi excise policy case, officials said.

However, Manish Sisodia has not been named as an accused in the charge sheet filed in the case.

Arrested businessmen Vijay Nair and Abhishek are among the seven accused named in the chargesheet.

Alleging that the “full power” of agencies under the BJP-led central government had been unleashed to hound him, Manish Sisodia took to Twitter and said, “CBI has called me again tomorrow. They have unleashed the full power of CBI, ED (Enforcement Directorate) against me, raided my house, searched my bank locker, and yet found nothing against me.”

“I have arranged good education for the children of Delhi. They want to stop it. I have always cooperated with the investigation and will continue to do so,” he added.

Last year in August, the CBI conducted a search operation at Sisodia’s Punjab National Bank locker in connection with Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 money laundering case, where according to him the CBI had found nothing.

Several raids were also conducted at 21 places in Delhi and the National Capital Region including the residence of Sisodia and the premises of four public servants last year, according to a CBI official. The official said that raids were conducted in locations across 7 states.

The probe was done after taking into account a report forwarded by the Chief Secretary to Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommending a CBI investigation into the matter.

The excise policy was passed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Cabinet in the middle of the deadly Delta Covid-19 pandemic in 2021.

The Delhi government’s version is that the policy was formulated to ensure the generation of optimum revenue, and eradicate the sale of spurious liquor or non-duty paid liquor in Delhi, besides improving user experience.

It has been alleged that the Delhi government’s policy of granting licenses to liquor traders is in the interest of some dealers who allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly denied by AAP.

Following L-G’s recommendation, the office of the Assistant Commissioner of Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) issued a notice to Delhi’s Excise Commissioner asking him to provide all documents relating to the award of liquor licenses under the new excise policy.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that there was “no liquor scam” in the city and claimed that the case over his government’s excise policy was created as a result of “political vendetta”.

“First of all, there is no such thing as a liquor scam. We formulated the best and most transparent policy in the country. We implemented this policy in Punjab and the revenue increased by 48 per cent. All this is happening due to political conspiracy in Delhi.”

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Kejriwal said his government will fully cooperate with the CBI’s investigation into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the now-scrapped excise policy 2021-22. (ANI)

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Manish Sisodia

Sisodia Claims Scared Of Losing Polls, BJP Arrested His PA

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday said the BJP is so afraid of losing elections that they raided his house and when they did not find anything, the ED raided his personal assistant’s house and when they did not find anything there too, they arrested him.

“They got my house raided based on false FIR, searched bank lockers, checked in my village but found nothing against me. Today, they conducted a raid at my PA’s house and when they didn’t find anything, they arrested him. BJP people! So much fear of losing the election,” he tweeted. (translated from Hindi)
Earlier on October 17, Sisodia was summoned to the CBI headquarters in the national capital where he was quizzed for nine hours.

While speaking to the media after the summon at his residence, Sisodia alleged that the case against him was intended not to probe any scam but to “make Operation Lotus successful in Delhi”.

“I was asked inside the CBI office to leave (AAP), or else such cases will keep getting registered against me. I was told ‘Satyendar Jain ke upar konse sachhe cases hain?’…I said I won’t leave AAP for BJP. They said they’ll make me CM,” he alleged.

However, the CBI refuted all such allegations and said that the examination was carried out in a “professional and legal manner”. It affirmed that the investigation will continue as per the law.

In August, the enforcement agencies conducted searches on Sisodia’s official residence among several other places in connection with the alleged corruption in the implementation of Delhi’s excise policy.

Sisodia, who is in charge of the excise department, has been under the scanner for alleged deliberate and gross procedural lapses which provided undue benefits to the tender process for liquor licencees for the year 2021-22.

Other accused are Manoj Rai, a former employee of Pernod Ricard; Amandeep Dhal, director of Brindco Sales; director of Buddy Retail Amit Arora, and Dinesh Arora; authorised signatories of Mahadev Liquors Sunny Marwah, Arun Ramchandra Pillai and Arjun Pandey.

The ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Excise Policy and undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority’s approval. The beneficiaries diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection.

This allegedly caused a loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer, said the FIR, which has been instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. (ANI)

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Manish Sisodia

Sisodia Leaves CBI HQ After 9 Hrs, Claims Was Asked To Quit AAP

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia left the CBI headquarters in the national capital on Monday after nine hours of questioning in the excise policy case.

He was summoned by the Central agency following which the Aam Aadmi Party took out a rally in support of Manish Sisodia on the way to CBI headquarters earlier today.
Speaking to the media at his residence, Sisodia alleged that the case against him was intended not to probe any scam but to “make Operation Lotus successful in Delhi”.

“Today I saw in the CBI office that there’s no issue of any scam (excise policy case). The whole case is fake. I understood all that in the 9 hour-questioning today. The case isn’t to probe any scam against me, but to make Operation Lotus successful in Delhi,” he alleged.

Sisodia further claimed that he was asked inside the CBI office to leave AAP and said that he was offered to be made the Chief Minister.

“I was asked inside the CBI office to leave (AAP), or else such cases will keep getting registered against me. I was told ‘Satyendar Jain ke upar konse sachhe cases hain?’…I said I won’t leave AAP for BJP. They said they’ll make me CM,” he alleged.

According to a CBI official, the Delhi Deputy Chief Minister has not been summoned tomorrow, however, he could be summoned again later.

“CBI will evaluate the answers given by (Delhi Dy CM) Manish Sisodia and if needed, he will be summoned again later. No summons to Sisodia for tomorrow,” a CBI official said.

Sisodia had arrived for questioning earlier today amid the allegations by the party of his possible arrest in the case.

Addressing the workers of the party before going to the agency headquarter, Sisodia had called upon AAP workers to “feel proud if he is sent to jail”.

“They are preparing to send me to jail. CBI raided my residence but nothing was found. Don’t feel sorry if I am sent to jail, feel proud,” he said.

Earlier today, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal linked Sisodia’s summons to the Gujarat Assembly elections later this year and alleged that his Deputy Chief Minister would be arrested.

“Nothing was found in Manish’s house raid, nothing was found in the bank locker. The case against them is completely false. He had to go to Gujarat for the election campaign. Arresting him to stop him from going. But the election campaign will not stop. Every person in Gujarat is promoting AAP today,” Kejriwal tweeted this morning.

On Sunday, AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj claimed that Sisodia “will be arrested”.

He also tried to draw parallels between the CBI summoning Sisodia with the upcoming Gujarat election. “CBI has summoned Manish Sisodia and will arrest him tomorrow. It has been alleged that a huge scam of Rs 10,000 crore has taken place and for that CBI and ED (Enforcement Directorate) have raided at at least 500 places so far. CBI raided Sisodia’s residence for 14 hours, but they could not find anything,” said AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj.

“This is directly linked with Gujarat elections as AAP competes with the BJP there and hence is scared. Manish Sisodia will be arrested to stop his programmes but the AAP will only grow stronger,” he added.

Meanwhile, BJP lashed out at the AAP for the show of strength in the rally and called it a “celebration of corruption”.

“When Rahul Gandhi was summoned by ED, then also Congress started doing drama like this. It will not be an exaggeration to say that it is a celebration of corruption. First, they did corruption while giving liquor licences in Delhi and now they are doing all this drama,” Patra said.

“The way Manish Sisodia was raising slogans in an open car on the streets along with his supporters today, it seems as if Aam Aadmi Party has won the World Cup of corruption. Arvind Kejriwal was a part of Anna Hazare’s Andolan and used to say that he will finish corruption, but now it seems AAP has itself become the most corrupt party in the country,” Patra further said. (ANI)

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