The ED had arrested Arvind Kejriwal in the same case on March 21.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday filed the ninth charge-sheet in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. The fresh charge-sheet names Vinod Chauhan as an accused, official sources said.
The new prosecution complaint (charge-sheet) was filed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court.
Chauhan was arrested by the central agency in May. Chauhan is accused of transferring cash funds, sourced through alleged kickbacks given by the ‘South Group’, for AAP’s election campaign for the Goa Assembly polls of 2022. Chauhan was the 18th person to be arrested in the case.
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, his former deputy Manish Sisodia, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, BRS leader and former Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao’s politician daughter K Kavitha, several liquor businessmen and others were arrested by the ED in the same case.
The ED has detailed Vinod Chauhan’s alleged involvement in an official document submitted to the court concerning the arrest of BRS leader K Kavitha.
According to the agency, Chauhan received Rs 25 crore from Kavitha’s personal assistant through Abhishek Boinpally for the Goa election.
“Statement of one of the staff members of K Kavitha revealed that he collected two heavy bags containing cash from accused Dinesh Arora’s office on Abhishek Boinpally’s directions and delivered it to Vinod Chauhan,” the ED claimed.
“On another occasion, he collected two such bags containing cash from an address near Todapur, Narayana, New Delhi, and again delivered it to Vinod Chauhan. Chauhan then transferred the same for AAP’s election campaign in Goa through the hawala route,” it added.
The ED also claimed that of the Rs 100 crore bribe money received by AAP from the ‘South Group’, Rs 45 crore was used for its Goa Assembly elections.
The ‘South Group’ allegedly comprised former YSR Congress Party MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Magunta, and Aurobindo Group promoter Sarath Reddy.
The ‘South Group’ was allegedly represented by Abhishek Boinpally, Arun Pillai, and Kavitha’s alleged auditor Butchibabu while dealing with AAP leaders in this case, the ED said.
