ED summons Sanjay Singh's 3 associates, to question them in front of AAP leader over Delhi liquor 'scam'

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Vivek Tyagi, Sarvesh Mishra and Kanwarbir Singh – three associates of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh – in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. Tyagi, Mishra and Singh have been issued summons and Mishra appeared before the ED on Friday, reported news agency ANI.

The probe agency is expected to question the three in front of Sanjay Singh, who is in the ED custody till October 10. Singh was arrested on Wednesday after a day-long questioning by ED officials at his Delhi residence.

The ED has alleged that Mishra has received ₹2 crore on two occasions on behalf of Sanjay Singh at the latter's residence. Tyagi, the personal assistant of Sanjay Singh was offered a stake in the business interest of accused Amit Arora's firm Aralias Hospitality.

On Thursday, special judge MK Nagpal remanded Sanjay Singh in ED custody till October 10 to enable the federal probe agency to interrogate him. The Rajya Sabha MP will be produced before the court on the expiry of his custody.

The judge noted that from the allegations being levelled against the accused and the material placed before the court regarding his "direct nexus with activities pertaining to proceeds of crime by way of receiving ₹2 crore", his “sustained and custodial interrogation appeared to be necessary to trace out the complete trail thereof”.

"Therefore, in view of the above and the totality of facts & circumstances, the accused is being remanded to the custody of ED till October 10, 2023 for the purposes of his detailed and sustained interrogation and confrontations with the oral and documentary evidence and he shall be produced before this court at 2 pm on that day,” the judge said.

The judge, however, directed that his interrogation shall be conducted at some place having CCTV coverage in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court and the said CCTV footage shall be preserved.

He shall be medically examined once every 48 hours, the judge said.

While being brought to the courtroom, Singh said his arrest was an act of injustice by Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose party was going to lose the next Lok Sabha elections.

Singh was arrested in connection with its money laundering probe linked to the 2021-22 Delhi Excise policy case, in a huge blow to the city's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The ED alleged that the accused was withholding certain information which was in his exclusive knowledge and was “extremely relevant” to the investigation and hence, his custodial interrogation was required to investigate the money trail of the bribe or kickback amount received by him from the approver Dinesh Arora.

It was also submitted that he further requires to be confronted with Tyagi, Singh and Mishra.

(With inputs from ANI, PTI)