New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs has granted sanction to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to prosecute former Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal in an excise policy-linked money laundering case.
The Union Home Ministry recently granted the required sanction to the central agency to prosecute Kejriwal in the money laundering case in which the ED has filed a chargesheet against him.
ED has made Kejriwal accused in money laundering case
The Central agency has made Kejriwal an accused in the money laundering case in his personal capacity as well as being the AAP’s national convenor and has called him the “kingpin” of excise policy scam.
Kejriwal has challenged chargesheet cognisance in ED case
Kejriwal also moved the Delhi High Court challenging an order of the trial court taking cognisance of ED’s chargesheet in the Delhi Excise Policy-linked money laundering case.
What has Kejriwal said?
Kejriwal has sought setting aside of the trial court order taking cognisance of the ED chargesheet, submitting that he was a public servant when the alleged offence of money laundering was committed and the trial court took cognisance of the chargesheet in the absence of any sanction to prosecute him in the case.
Kejriwal also sought from the High Court a stay on the proceedings before the trial court, however, the High Court refused to stay the proceedings for now before the trial court. The matter is currently pending before the High Court, which has fixed the hearing on Kejriwal’s plea on January 30.
Apex Court granted Kejriwal interim bail in ED case on July 12 last year
The Supreme Court on July 12 last year granted interim bail to Kejriwal in the excise policy-linked money laundering case while referring his plea challenging his arrest in the money laundering case to a larger.
ED arrested Kejriwal in money laundering case on March 21
The ED arrested Kejriwal in the excise policy-linked money laundering case on March 21. He was later also arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in an excise policy-linked corruption case and was granted bail by the apex court in the corruption case on September 13.
