Close aides of Sisodia diverted bribes from liquor traders to public servants: CBI FIR on Delhi excise policy

CBI alleged that Sisodia and other accused took decisions pertaining to the excise policy 2021-22 without the approval of competent authority

The CBI FIR in the Delhi excise policy case has alleged that three close associates of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia were involved in “managing and diverting” bribes collected “from liquor licencees to accused public servants”.

The FIR registered on August 17 has named 13 people, including Sisodia and three former Excise Department officials, and two companies. Searches were conducted on Friday at 31 locations, including in Delhi, Gurugram, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Bengaluru with CBI claiming that they have recovered documents and digital records.

According to the FIR, Sisodia, former Excise Commissioner Aravi Gopi Krishna, former Deputy Excise Commissioner Anand Tiwari and former Assistant Excise Commissioner Anand Tiwari were “instrumental” in recommending and taking decisions pertaining to excise policy for 2021-22 without approval of Lieutenant Governor “with an intention to extend undue favours to the licencees post tender”.

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The FIR claimed that Vijay Nair, CEO of entertainment and event management company 'Only Much Louder', former employee of Pernod Ricard Manoj Rai, Brindco Spirits owner Amandeep Dhal and Indo Spirits owner Sameer Mahendru were “actively involved” in the “irregularities in framing” the excise policy.

Bribes were diverted to public servants and companies made false entries in their books of accounts “to keep their records straight”, it claimed.

The FIR claimed that Buddy Retail Pvt Ltd Director Amit Arora, and two others -- Arjun Pandey and Dinesh Arora are close associates of Sisodia and were “actively involved in managing and diverting the undue pecuniary advantage collected from liquor licencees to accused public servants”.

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It is alleged that Mahendru transferred Rs 1 crore to the account of Radha Industries, which is being managed by Dinesh Arora.

It also said another accused Arun Ramachandra Pillai used to collect money from Mahendru to forward it to public servants through another accused Vijay Nair. Pandey had once allegedly collected Rs 2-4 crore from Mahendru on behalf of Vijay Nair, the FIR claimed.

The FIR was registered after the Ministry of Home Affairs forwarded a letter by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, who claimed irregularities in the framing of policy and corruption in its implementation.

According to the three-page letter to Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, which is part of the FIR, the L-G said the Excise Department under Sisodia gave a waiver of Rs 144.36 crore to licensees on the tendered licence fee citing Covid-19, besides refunding the earnest money of Rs 30 crore to the lowest bidder for the licence of the airport zone when it failed to obtain a no-objection certificate from airport authorities.

Quoting from a report submitted by the Delhi Chief Secretary, Saxena said the Excise Department without his approval revised the formula for calculation of rates of foreign liquor and removed the levy of import pass fee of Rs 50 per case on beer, which made the foreign liquor and beer cheaper for retail.

“Extension of such benefit, post tender, amounts to extending undue favour to licencees,” Saxena said in his letter.