ED chargesheet reveals DJB scam: Over Rs 2 crore transferred for AAP’s election funding

New Delhi, April 4 (IANS) In a recent development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a chargesheet in a Delhi court regarding alleged financial irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). The chargesheet revealed that over Rs 2 crore was transferred for election funding of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in connection with corruption in flow metre procurement tendering.

The individuals named in the chargesheet include former DJB chief engineer Jagdish Kumar Arora, contractor Anil Kumar Agarwal, former NBCC general manager D.K. Mittal, one Tejinder Singh, and NKG Infrastructure Limited. The chargesheet accessed by IANS stated, “Investigation revealed that the remaining proceeds of crime (bribe) to the tune of Rs 2,00,78,242 acquired by Jagdish Kumar Arora, was transferred for election funding of the AAP.”

The investigation into the roles of the accused in money laundering and proceeds of crime utilisation is complete, but the probe into the final utilisation of the proceeds of crime amounting to Rs. 2,00,78,242, transferred to various persons including officers of Delhi Jal Board and for election funding of AAP, is still ongoing.

Initially, the CBI filed an FIR in December 2021 implicating Arora in a conspiracy with NKG Infrastructure Ltd. in securing a Rs 38 crore contract in 2018. Despite complaints about NKG Infrastructure’s non-compliance with contract eligibility criteria, the contract worth approximately Rs 38 crore was awarded to them, as per a CBI FIR filed in 2022.

In July 2022, the CBI booked Arora and others under various sections, including criminal conspiracy and cheating. The ED also filed a case in September 2022 and conducted raids. Earlier this year, Jagdish Arora and Anil Kumar Aggarwal were arrested by the ED for alleged bribery related to the contract, with Aggarwal accused of transferring Rs 3 crore in bribes to Arora’s relatives and associates.