ED raids AAP MLA in money laundering probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday raided the premises of Aam Aadmi Party’s Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan in a probe into a case initially filed by ACB

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday raided the premises of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan in Delhi in connection with a money-laundering probe, people familiar with the development said, triggering a political spat between the AAP and the BJP.

The PMLA investigation against the Okhla MLA is linked to complaint alleging illegal appointments and unauthorised renting of Waqf Board properties. (HT Photo)

While the AAP called ED action “a witch hunt against opposition leaders”, the BJP said the investigating agencies were doing their job to expose alleged corruption by AAP leaders.

Though the central agency officially did not divulge details, a person aware of the probe said the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) investigation against the Okhla MLA is linked to complaint alleging illegal appointments and unauthorised renting of Waqf Board properties. Khan is the chairperson of Delhi Waqf Board.

The Delhi government’s anti-corruption branch (ACB) had arrested Khan during its ongoing probe in the matter in September last year. Khan got bail in the matter in March this year.

Reacting to the development, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed that 95% of the cases registered by central probe agencies, such as the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), are against opposition leaders and said that Khan was granted bail in the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) case last year.

Officials cited above said ED has taken cognisance of the Delhi ACB’s first information report (FIR) as well as a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR against Khan.

CBI has accused Khan of making illegal appointments in the Waqf Board in violation of provisions and by abusing his office as the board chairman. The ACB’s case pertains to financial misappropriation and other irregularities in the functioning of the Delhi Waqf Board, the officials said.

The ACB FIR alleged that Khan, while working as the Delhi Waqf Board chairman, illegally recruited 32 people, violating all norms and government guidelines. It also accused him of corruption and favouritism.

“The then CEO of the Delhi Waqf Board had clearly given a statement and issued a memorandum against such illegal recruitment. Further, it is alleged that as the chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board, Amanatullah Khan rented out a number of properties of the Delhi Waqf Board illegally, with allegations of corruption and favouritism,” the ACB said in a statement issued in September 2022.

It has further been alleged that Khan misappropriated waqf board funds, comprising grants in aid from the Delhi government.

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said the case against Khan was fake.

“Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia were put in jail in false cases, not a single rupee was recovered from them. Sanjay Singh, who strongly opposed BJP inside and outside the Parliament has been arrested on fabricated charges. Now, ED raids are going on at the residence of our MLA Amanatullah Khan. ACB had arrested him in a false case on September 16 last year. But when he challenged the arrest, the court granted him bail on 28 September,” said Chadha.

Chadha said ED is “inactive in BJP-ruled states” while it is “very active” in non-BJP ruled states. “Between 2004 and 2014, ED conducted only 112 raids. But between 2014 and 2023, the agency conducted 3,100 raids of which 95% raids were conducted against leaders of the opposition parties. Ever since the INDIA alliance has been constituted, the number of summons being issued by these agencies and raids conducted by these agencies has increased. It shows the fear of BJP,” said Chadha.

The BJP hit back at the AAP and said that Khan was already under probe. “The ED raids against Amanatullah Khan has not come as a surprise because there have been allegations of misappropriation and corruption against him. His role as chairman of Delhi Waqf Board has also been under inquiry. There have been complaints of illegal appointments at the board in exchange and settling property disputes in exchange of money. The matter had gone to ACB, which forwarded it to the Enforcement Directorate and the same allegations are now being probed,” said Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva.

Sachdeva said that the AAP leaders start playing the “victim card” as soon as an inquiry starts against them.