Till date no money trail found with any AAP leader, Kejriwal's arrest on one person's word: Delhi minister Atishi
Atishi further alleged that the money in the liquor scam actually went to BJP via electoral bonds. She said Reddy donated Rs 4.5 crore bonds to BJP not to AAP.
- Mar 23, 2024,
- Updated Mar 23, 2024 10:39 AM IST
Arvind Kejriwal arrest: Delhi Finance Minister Atishi on Saturday said that till date no money trail found with any AAP leader. At a press conference in Delhi, Atishi said that the Enforcement Directorate arrested Delhi CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on the basis of one person's testimony, Sharad Chandra Reddy.
Atishi further alleged that the money in the liquor scam actually went to BJP via electoral bonds. She said Reddy donated Rs 4.5 crore bonds to BJP not to AAP.
Reddy, a whole-time director and promoter of Aurobindo Pharma, was arrested by the ED in November 2022. Aurobindo Pharma is one of the country’s top pharmaceutical companies.
"Arvind Kejriwal was arrested two days ago in the alleged liquor policy case. He was arrested based on the statement of just one person - Sarath Chandra Reddy, the head of the Aurobindo Pharma. He owns several other companies. Sarath Chandra Reddy was called for questioning on November 9, 2022. During the questioning, he said he never met Arvind Kejriwal and is not related with the AAP. However, he was arrested following this by the ED. After spending several months in the jail, Sarath Chandra Reddy changed his statement, saying he has met Arvind Kejriwal. Following this, Sarath Chandra Reddy got bail," Atishi said on Saturday.
AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj claimed that over Rs 50 crore was transferred to BJP by Aurobindo Pharma and its two subsidiaries.
The ED has claimed that AAP communication in-charge Vijay Nair, acting on behalf of the party’s leaders, received kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crore from a group, South Group (as termed in the statements of various persons recorded during the investigation)”. Reddy was earlier alleged to be part of this collective.
The ED claimed these kickbacks were “paid in advance to AAP leaders through Nair by South Group as a part of an agreement between South Group and AAP leaders” so it could secure “uninhibited access, undue favours, attained stakes in established wholesale businesses and multiple retail zones (over and above what was allowed in the policy)”..."
As per a report in the Indian Express, between April 2021 and November 2023, Aurobindo Pharma acquired electoral bonds worth Rs 52 crore. Electoral data released by the Election Commission of India showed that a significant proportion — 66% — went to the BJP.
FOllowing this, 29% of these bonds were encashed by Telangana-based Bharat Rashtra Samithi and the remaining portion by Andhra Pradesh-based Telugu Desam Party.
The data said that 57% of the Rs 52 crore in electoral bonds were acquired between November 2022 and November 2023.
Besides the Rs 5-crore purchase in November 2022, the company bought bonds worth Rs 25 crore in November 2023. These bonds were encashed by the BJP on November 21, 2022, (as mentioned above) and November 17, 2023, respectively.
Arvind Kejriwal arrest: Delhi Finance Minister Atishi on Saturday said that till date no money trail found with any AAP leader. At a press conference in Delhi, Atishi said that the Enforcement Directorate arrested Delhi CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on the basis of one person's testimony, Sharad Chandra Reddy.
Atishi further alleged that the money in the liquor scam actually went to BJP via electoral bonds. She said Reddy donated Rs 4.5 crore bonds to BJP not to AAP.
Reddy, a whole-time director and promoter of Aurobindo Pharma, was arrested by the ED in November 2022. Aurobindo Pharma is one of the country’s top pharmaceutical companies.
"Arvind Kejriwal was arrested two days ago in the alleged liquor policy case. He was arrested based on the statement of just one person - Sarath Chandra Reddy, the head of the Aurobindo Pharma. He owns several other companies. Sarath Chandra Reddy was called for questioning on November 9, 2022. During the questioning, he said he never met Arvind Kejriwal and is not related with the AAP. However, he was arrested following this by the ED. After spending several months in the jail, Sarath Chandra Reddy changed his statement, saying he has met Arvind Kejriwal. Following this, Sarath Chandra Reddy got bail," Atishi said on Saturday.
AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj claimed that over Rs 50 crore was transferred to BJP by Aurobindo Pharma and its two subsidiaries.
The ED has claimed that AAP communication in-charge Vijay Nair, acting on behalf of the party’s leaders, received kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crore from a group, South Group (as termed in the statements of various persons recorded during the investigation)”. Reddy was earlier alleged to be part of this collective.
The ED claimed these kickbacks were “paid in advance to AAP leaders through Nair by South Group as a part of an agreement between South Group and AAP leaders” so it could secure “uninhibited access, undue favours, attained stakes in established wholesale businesses and multiple retail zones (over and above what was allowed in the policy)”..."
As per a report in the Indian Express, between April 2021 and November 2023, Aurobindo Pharma acquired electoral bonds worth Rs 52 crore. Electoral data released by the Election Commission of India showed that a significant proportion — 66% — went to the BJP.
FOllowing this, 29% of these bonds were encashed by Telangana-based Bharat Rashtra Samithi and the remaining portion by Andhra Pradesh-based Telugu Desam Party.
The data said that 57% of the Rs 52 crore in electoral bonds were acquired between November 2022 and November 2023.
Besides the Rs 5-crore purchase in November 2022, the company bought bonds worth Rs 25 crore in November 2023. These bonds were encashed by the BJP on November 21, 2022, (as mentioned above) and November 17, 2023, respectively.