AAP violated FCRA in receiving foreign funds: ED to home ministry

A senior official confirmed to HT that “a reference to MHA was sent in August 2023 informing about FCRA violations by AAP in receiving foreign funds”.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has written to the ministry of home affairs (MHA) alleging irregularities in the collection of foreign funds by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in violation of the foreign contribution regulation act (FCRA) and Representation of People’s Act , people familiar with the development said.

It remains unclear on the action MHA took when the reference regarding the violations was made in August 2023. (ANI)

The agency is learnt to have gathered evidence pertaining to donations worth ₹7.08 crore collected by AAP from overseas, they said.

To be sure, a senior official confirmed to HT that “a reference to MHA was sent in August 2023 informing about FCRA violations by AAP in receiving foreign funds”.

It remains unclear on the action MHA took when the reference regarding the violations was made in August 2023.

The development has come to the fore at a time when a charge sheet under prevention of money laundering act or PMLA was filed by the federal agency naming AAP and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22 probe.

Earlier AAP leader Pankaj Gupta was questioned in this case in September 2021 about foreign funds of the party while a former leader Sukhpal Khaira was taken into custody.

“The MHA has been informed that this money has been raised (by AAP) in violation of provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010 and Representation of the People Act, 1951 by concealing, mis-declaring and manipulating the identities and nationalities of foreign donors as well as several other facts relating to foreign donations,” said an officer who didn’t want to be named.

Officials cited above said several instances of irregularities in collection of foreign funds by AAP and its leaders have come out ED’s probe, which has been substantiated through the contents of e-mails exchanged between various AAP volunteers and functionaries.

Sharing further details on foreign funding of AAP, a second officer cited above said “amounts were collected through fund-raising campaigns in USA and Canada and identities of actual donors have been concealed in the books of accounts maintained by the AAP in order to circumvent the restrictions imposed under FCRA on donations by foreign citizens to a political party”.

This officer added that multiple donors have used same passport number, e-mail ID, mobile number, credit card for donations.

“We have shared all this information including names, country of donor, passport number, amount donated, mode of donation and bank account number of receiver, billing name, billing address, billing telephone numbers, billing e-mail, time and date of donation and payment gateway used etc, which was gathered while conducting the PMLA probe,” said the second officer.