The Enforcement Directorate on February 6 was conducting searches at the premises of Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha member ND Gupta and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s personal secretary Bibhav Kumar, sources said.
The searches were conducted in connection with a Delhi Jal Board money laundering case, hours before Delhi minister Atishi's press briefing in which she promised an “expose” on the agency.
Talking to media, Atishi said the raids were being carried out because ED was “scared” of her “expose”.
“The ED has carried out these raids to stop me from making any statement. Since 7 am raids were started at the premises of AAP leaders and people associated with them,” the Delhi minister said.
Atishi claimed ED, which has been investigating the Delhi excise policy case for over one-and-a-half years, had not found any evidence against AAP leaders.
“The agency has also deleted the audio from all the CCTV footage of witnesses examined by it. It means all the statements of the Enforcement Directorate are fake,” Atishi went on to say.
She alleged that several witnesses in the case were threatened and coaxed by ED to give statements against the Kejriwal government.
“The AAP has filed an application in the CBI and ED courts, requesting audio and video footage of the investigations. I challenge ED to produce these audio recordings before the people of India,” said Atishi.
Senior party leader Manish Sisodia had to quit as the Kejriwal's deputy after he was charged and arrested in the excise policy case, in which the Delhi government is accused of changing the liquor policy for the benefit of a group of traders.
Kejriwal, who has ignored several summons by the agency responsible for tracking economic offences and money laundering, has accused the Centre of misusing ED with the aim to bring down his government in Delhi and also prevent AAP from contesting elections.
Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to President's address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on February 5 dismissed opposition's charge of misuse of agencies and said the corrupt would continue to face action and would have to return what they “looted”.
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