AAP MP Sanjay Singh Remanded To 5 Days ED Custody In Money Laundering Case

A Delhi Court on Thursday remanded Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh to five days of ED custody till October 10 in the money laundering case connected to the Delhi liquor policy.

The AAP leader was arrested yesterday by the Enforcement Directorate. This was after searches were conducted at his residence in the national capital since early on Wednesday morning. Singh is the third AAP leader to be arrested in the matter.

Singh was produced today before Special Judge MK Nagpal of Rouse Avenue Courts. ED had sought 10 days custody.

The judge has earlier denied bail to other AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain in the cases registered by ED and CBI. They both have also been denied bail by the Delhi High Court in both FIRs.

The raids were conducted by ED at Singh’s residence after he was named by businessman Dinesh Arora, accused in the case, who later turned approver in both ED and CBI cases. 

SPP NK Matta appearing for ED submitted that an employee of Dinesh Arora allegedly delivered Rs. 2 crores to Sanjay Singh's house on two occasions. He further said that in the searches conducted at Singh’s house, the agency has to confront the AAP leader with digital evidence. 

The court was also informed by ED that Singh's phone has been seized. It was also submitted that Singh has to be confronted with various individuals.

On the other hand, Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur appearing for Singh opposed the remand and said that it is one of those “interesting cases” where investigation will keep going on and it will never end.

“The star witness (Dinesh Arora) is accused in both cases and turns approver in both cases...Look into the changing statements of this Dinesh Arora and Amit Arora...Suddenly you start taking names…Only to seek my own liberty, I start inculpating others...Procedure prescribes some safeguards,” Mathur said.

Mathur further said that Singh was never summoned or called for interrogation and that the ED wants to humiliate him by arresting him. 

Making rebuttal submissions, ED’s special counsel Zoheb Hossain said that Mathur’s argument, that Dinesh Arora’s statement was extracted as inducement to grant him bail, was wrong. He said that the submission is Mathur’s imagination which deserves to be rejected.

“We have statements which corroborate location and CDR, which demonstrates that whatever is stated is correct,” he said.

After the arguments concluded, Singh also addressed the court and said that initially none of the witnesses named him in their statements and that it happened suddenly.

”Mai aapse (judge) haath jod ke prathna kar raha hu, agar inke allegations me kuch bhi sacchayi hain, toh mujhe sakht se sakht saza ho. But ye sab jhooth hain. Mujhe ek bar bhi nahi bulaya gaya. Ek bar bhi summon nahi kiya gaya. Mere liye alag kanoon sir? Antim baat, Vijay Singh ka Ajay Singh hosakta hain. Rahul Singh ka Sanjay Singh kardiya inhone. Aap nyaay ki kursi par hai, Mai aapse itna hi anurodh kar sakta hu bas,” Singh said.

ED has alleged that the excise policy was implemented as part of a conspiracy to give wholesale business profit of 12% to certain private companies. It has said that such a stipulation was not mentioned in the minutes of meetings of Group of Ministers (GoM).

The agency also alleges that there was a conspiracy which was coordinated by Vijay Nair and other individuals along with South Group to give extraordinary profit margin to wholesalers. It was contended that Nair was acting on behalf of Sisodia.