Excise Case: Delhi Court Seeks ED’s Response On Amandeep Singh Dhall Bail Plea

The Rouse Avenue Court today sought the response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Businessman Amandeep Dhall’s bail plea in a money laundering case related to the excise policy case.
Dhall is a director of Brindco Sales and was arrested on March 1, 2023, by ED.

The Special Judge MK Nagpal issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate and fixed the matter for hearing on April 26.

Recently, the same Court allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to examine and quiz businessman Amandeep Singh Dhall in Tihar Jail in connection with the alleged excise policy scam.
Presently, Amandeep Singh Dhall is confined in Tihar Jail in Judicial Custody in connection with a money laundering case, which is tied to the excise case.

Through an application, the CBI stated, “Some fresh evidence has surfaced which requires further examination of Amandeep Singh Dhall to unearth the conspiracy hatched between the accused in relation to the Excise case”.

Further, after going through the application, the special Judge MK Nagpal allowed CBI officers to visit Tihar Jail for recording Amandeep Dhall’s statement.

Dhall is the executive director of Brindco Sales Private Limited and was arrested on March 1, 2023, by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the Excise case.

Earlier, the CBI also informed the court that the agency, and examined him in the case before his arrest by the ED.

On Monday, ED’s through Special Public Prosecutor Naveen Kumar Matta submitted in court that they are filing the next chargesheet (Prosecution Complaint) against Manish Sisodia, Amandeep Singh Dhal, and Arun Ramchandra Pillai by the end of this month in connection with the money laundering case related to irregularities in the now-scrapped excise policy.

According to the ED, Dhall, a Delhi-based businessman allegedly conspired with other persons and is actively involved in the formation of the policy and facilitating kickbacks to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its recoupment by the South Group through various means.

The ED & CBI alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Excise policy, undue favors were extended to the license holders, the license fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 license was extended without the competent authority’s approval.

Furthermore, the beneficiaries diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection.

Therefore, it alleged that the Excise department decided to refund the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) of about ₹30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules. Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered license fees was allowed from December 28, 2021-January 27, 2022, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This allegedly caused a loss of ₹144.36 crore to the exchequer, which has been instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.