NEW DELHI: The CBI has known as Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday for questioning in reference to the Delhi Excise Policy case almost three months after submitting the cost sheet in the case, officers mentioned. Sisodia has not been named as accused in the cost sheet because the investigation towards him and different suspects remains to be occurring, they mentioned. The Deputy Chief Minister in the Aam Aadmi Party authorities, who additionally held the cost of the Excise division, was earlier questioned on October 17 final yr and his dwelling and financial institution lockers had been additionally searched in reference to the case.
“The further investigation in the case regarding the money trail and the larger conspiracy in the formulation and implementation of Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 is still in progress,” an official mentioned.
In a tweet, Sisodia mentioned nothing was discovered towards him throughout searches, and he would proceed cooperating in the investigation.
“CBI has called again tomorrow. They have used the full power of CBI, ED against me, raided my house, searched bank locker, but nothing was found against me,” Sisodia mentioned.
Apparently referring to the centre, he mentioned that the CBI has been made to go after him as a result of “they” wish to cease him from doing “good work” on the training of the kids in Delhi.
“They want to stop me. I have always cooperated with the investigation and will continue to do so,” he mentioned.
The CBI is now focussed on the alleged affect of a “South Lobby” of businessmen and politicians in formulating and implementing Delhi liquor coverage to swing it in their favour utilizing middlemen, liquor merchants, and public servants, CBI mentioned.
Arrested businessmen Vijay Nair and Abhishek Boinpally had been among the many seven accused in the cost sheet filed on November 25 final yr.
It is alleged the Delhi authorities’s coverage to grant licences to liquor merchants favoured sure sellers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a cost strongly refuted by the AAP.
“It was additional alleged that irregularities had been dedicated together with modifications in Excise Policy, extending undue favours to the licensees, waiver/discount in licence price, extension of L-1 license with out approval and so forth.
“It was also alleged that illegal gains on the count of these acts were diverted to concerned public servants by private parties by making false entries in their books of accounts,” a CBI spokesperson had mentioned.
Recently, the CBI arrested Butchibabu Gorantla, a former Chartered Accountant of Ok Kavitha, a BRS MLC in Telangana and a daughter of Chief Minister Ok Chandrasekhar Rao.
It is alleged that Babu had met a number of accused named in the FIR in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai and was one of the prime negotiators from the South Lobby, which wished to swing the now scrapped excise coverage for 2021-22 in its favour.
The CBI had additionally questioned Kavitha in reference to the case in December final yr.
During its probe, the CBI had discovered proof that Babu acted on behalf of the South Lobby comprising the Telangana MLC, YSRCP MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, and Aurobindo Pharma’s P Sarat Chandra Reddy.
