Delhi excise policy case: ED attaches Rs 115-crore worth assets of 2 approvers

Delhi excise policy: ED attaches Rs 115-cr worth assets of its 2 approvers

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth more than Rs 115 crore of two of its approvers -- TDP Lok Sabha poll candidate Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy's businessman son Raghav Magunta and Aurobindo Pharma promoter Sarath Chandra Reddy -- in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case.

The agency made the disclosure in a chargesheet filed by it on May 10 against former Telangana chief minister and BRS leader K Chandrashekar Rao's MLC daughter K Kavitha and four others. A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court took cognisance of this prosecution complaint on May 29.

Both Raghav Magunta and Reddy are stated to be the members the so-called 'South Group' led by K Kavitha which, the ED has charged, made a payment of Rs 100 crore to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to tweak the Delhi Excise Policy, 2021-22 to favour the grouping. The policy has been scrapped following charges of illegalities.

The AAP had alleged that the statements recorded by the Maguntas led to the arrest of its supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and that Reddy had paid Rs 55 crore to the BJP through electoral bonds which proves the party has connection with the 'South Lobby'.

A provisional order for attaching the assets of Raghav Magunta and Reddy under the PMLA was issued on May 3 and the value of the assets of the two are pegged at Rs 1,15,06,27,753 in the ED chargesheet accessed by PTI.

The federal agency said in the chargesheet that it was yet to send the original complaint of this order to the Adjudicating Authority of the PMLA for confirmation of the provisional order.

This is the third attachment order issued by the ED in this case. It had earlier attached the properties of former Delhi deputy CM and AAP leader Manish Sisodia (over Rs 52 crore) and businessman Sameer Mahandru (more than Rs 76 crore).

The ED has 'prayed for confiscation' of all the assets, attached as part of the total three orders, from the court and mentioned the same in the chargesheet filed against Kavitha and four others.

Raghav Magunta and Reddy were arrested by the ED in this case and both were granted approval by the court last year to become approver in the ED case.

Both are currently out on bail. Businessman Dinesh Arora is the third approver in the ED case.

The CBI too is investigating this case.

Raghav Magunta's father Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy is a sitting YSRCP MP from the Ongole seat in Andhra Pradesh. He, however, switched his political outfit and is now contesting the same seat again on a TDP ticket.

His fate will be known on Tuesday when the votes for the general elections are counted across the country.

Meanwhile, Kavitha, according to her statement furnished by the ED in the chargesheet, has denied all the allegations of bribery made against her in the excise policy case.

The ED also charged her with destruction of evidence alleging that there was 'no data' in her FaceTime and WhatsApp apps despite 'her own disclosure that she uses' these utilities.

"When confronted with these facts Smt K Kavitha evaded the question and didn't reply to the question put," the ED said.

"The activity of generation and transfer were carried out by Smt K Kavitha by being involved in the payment of Rs 100 crore kickbacks to the AAP leaders," the agency claimed.

Kavitha's judicial custody was extended by the court on Monday till July 3.