Implicated in excise policy case on mistaken identity: Director of pvt firm to court
Joshi was represented by senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy who argued for his bail in the ED money laundering case before Special Judge MK Nagpal at Rouse Avenue district court.
The ED claimed in the chargesheet submitted to court that a part of the alleged Rs 100 crore kickback generated was used in the Goa assembly poll campaign of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP. (Representational) Rajesh Joshi, director of a private firm under investigation for allegedly being involved in the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Goa election campaign, which was allegedly funded through kickbacks in the excise policy case, has told a Delhi court he was implicated in this case on a mistaken identity.
Joshi was represented by senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy who argued for his bail in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) money laundering case before Special Judge MK Nagpal at Rouse Avenue district court. The ED will address its arguments on March 31.
Guruswamy argued that her client was implicated in this case on the basis of an approver’s statement who “mistakes the identity” and changes his statement on multiple occasions.
She began her arguments by telling the court that this is a “rare case where one has to emphasise the name of the client”. “What is defining about this case is the lack of reference to Rajesh Joshi in any of the foundational documents,” Guruswamy told the court.
She told the court her client has been running a PR and media company since 2014, earning a legitimate livelihood. “I am not a politician. No one political party, I used this phrase very carefully, I have supported. My family has run a press and public relations business since 2013. This is over 10 years old. No one major or insignificant party is its primary client… The party in question is not even my biggest client,” Guruswamy submitted.
She told the court her client’s name came up in a disclosure statement made by the approver, Dinesh Arora. She said the statement of an approver “must be truthful and complete”.
Guruswamy said Arora took the name of one Rajesh Sharma in his first confessional statement. “Here at this point, no insight into whether he met Rajesh Sharma, or has any dealings… First he says he never met him. When confronted he says, I don’t know, I have never met this person,” Guruswamy told the court.
She then said Arora, in an earlier statement, claimed to have given Rs 1 crore to Rajesh, however, later he changed his statement to claim he had taken Rs 1 crore from the accused.
“There is only a Rajesh Sharma, who says he never met and then says he met on multiple occasions, to hand over a very large sum of money… Under a week later, he was earlier saying met him to give Rs 1 crore. Now look what he says. Previous statement he said I gave. Now it’s the reverse.. Please see how statements are changing,” Guruswamy told the court.
The judge said he will consider the “apparent contradictions” in the approver’s statement, expenditure for elections and veracity of his statements during the course of trial. Guruswamy told the court that in her case, “there is nothing else” but the approver’s statement “so the reliability of the approver’s statement becomes very important”.
She told the court her client cooperated with the ED investigation, submitted all bank-related documents, and has been in custody for 43 days. “Conveniently though, this is a complete history of my financial information, last five years that they asked for… They chose not to rely on the documents. It is a scam of a financial nature… I am the only person in jail without being part of the liquor lobby or political process. I am arrested despite not having a role,” Guruswamy said.
Joshi was allegedly involved in the delivery or transmission of the kickback of around Rs 30 crore, which was received from the ‘South’ liquor lobby through hawala channels, and which he delivered to co-accused Vijay Nair, the ED said.
The ED claimed in the chargesheet submitted to court that a part of the alleged Rs 100 crore kickback generated was used in the Goa assembly poll campaign of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP.
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