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Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday said Chanpreet Singh, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi excise policy case and accused of “managing” AAP’s funds for the 2022 Goa Assembly election, had also worked for the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and “even the BJP” but attempts were being made to malign only AAP.
Mr. Singh was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on April 12 and produced the next day before a special court which sent him to ED custody till April 18. He was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the same case last year.
“Singh works as a freelancer for different parties. He has worked for the Congress, Trinamool Congress and even the BJP. This is mentioned in the CBI documents,” Mr. Bharadwaj said.
Mr. Singh’s arrest is the 17th in the excise policy case. The ED has accused Mr. Singh of handling cash payments for AAP’s Goa election campaign and having a “relationship” with the party.
Some of the high-profile leaders the agency has arrested so far include AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his party colleague and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia. Last month, the ED arrested Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha in the same case, alleging that she played a “key role” in lobbying for a “south group” of liquor manufacturers to get licence in Delhi.
(With PTI inputs)
