Court rejects Waze’s plea to turn approver in ED case

Waze, Deshmukh and two of his staffers were named as accused in two separate cases filed by the CBI and the ED, with allegations that bribes were collected in 2020-2021 from bars and restaurants by Waze on instructions given by the then minister.

Waze sought pardon in both the cases, stating that he will make truthful disclosures of facts known to him in the cases.
In such cases, as per the law, if pardon is permitted, the person is examined as a prosecution witness and their testimony can be used against other co-accused. The person then does not remain an accused and is not given punishment in that case.

The CBI court had permitted his plea and granted him pardon in 2022, following a no-objection from the central agency. The ED, too, had granted consent to pardon him in 2022. In 2023, however, the ED withdrew its consent and said that there was enough evidence against all the accused in the case including Waze.

Waze had said that the ED’s stand was “untenable in law” and also cited the CBI court’s decision to grant him pardon.
On Tuesday, the Bombay High Court granted bail to Waze in the corruption case registered by CBI. He remains in custody in the case filed by the NIA over the alleged planting of explosives in a car near the house of industrialist Mukesh Ambani in 2021.