Sisodia’s ED custody extended by 5 days; Lawyer says show proceeds, not crime
The Rouse Avenue Court on Friday extended former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s ED custody by five more days as the agency said it needs to interrogate the AAP leader further in the money laundering angle of the liquor policy case.
The Court allowed Manish Sisodia to sign cheques for his family’s expenses and his wife’s medical expenses of ₹40,000 and ₹45,000, respectively.
The ED told the court that Delhi’s former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia could not give any answer to their question of why he changed so many phones.
In the ED custody, he was confronted with three persons, including an IAS officer and the excise commissioner, the ED told the court, as reported by Livelaw, as Sisodia was produced before the Rouse Avenue Court on the expiry of his 7-day ED custody in the money laundering case in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case.
As the ED sought further remand of Sisodia, it told the court that Sisodia needs to be confronted again. He could not say where his phone is. Sisodia’s lawyer opposed the plea for extending the remand on this ground of the phone as he said the CBI too mentioned this point in their remand. The ED has to say something else to justify their further remand, Sisodia’s lawyer argued.
Sisodia’s lawyer said Sisodia’s computer was seized and investigated earlier by one agency. Now another agency is trying to repeat the whole process again. “They have to show the proceeds of the crime and how I am involved in all this. If they investigate for 7 months and then come to court seeking my remand, then what have you done?” Sisodia’s lawyer said.
ED needs to tell the court what they have done on the aspect of the proceeds of the crime, Sisodia’s lawyer said adding that they have to show the proceeds of the crime and not the crime because CBI has already done the process. “Are they proxy agency of the CBI?” Sisodia’s lawyer said.
On February 26, Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in connection with the liquor policy. The ED arrested him later and got his custody in the money laundering aspect of the same case.