New Delhi. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth over Rs 115 crore of two of its government witnesses – businessman Raghav Magunta and Aurobindo Pharma promoter Sharat Chandra Reddy – in an alleged money laundering case linked to the Delhi Excise Policy. Raghav is the son of TDP Lok Sabha candidate Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy.
The agency has made this disclosure in the chargesheet filed on May 10 against K. Kavitha, MLC daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister and BRS leader K. Chandrasekhar Rao, and four others. The special PMLA court took cognizance of this chargesheet of the prosecution on May 29.
Both Raghav Magunta and Reddy are said to be members of the so-called ‘South Group’ led by Kavitha, which the ED has alleged paid Rs 100 crore to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to change the Delhi excise policy, which was scrapped following corruption allegations.
The AAP had alleged that statements recorded by Magunta led to the arrest of its chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, while Reddy had paid Rs 55 crore to the BJP through electoral bonds, proving the BJP’s links with the ‘South Lobby’.
According to the ED chargesheet, an interim order for attachment of the properties of Raghav Magunta and Reddy under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was issued on May 3, following which properties worth more than Rs 115 crore of the two have been seized.
This is the third attachment order issued by the ED in this case. Earlier, the ED had attached the properties of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia (more than Rs 52 crore) and businessman Sameer Mahendru (more than Rs 76 crore).
In this case, ED had arrested Raghav Magunta and Reddy and last year the court had allowed both of them to become government witnesses in the ED case. At present, both are out on bail.
Tags: Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi liquor scam, enforcement directorate, Manish sisodia
FIRST PUBLISHED : June 3, 2024, 23:06 IST