CBI Charges Kavitha with Funneling Illicit Funds to AAP's Goa Campaign

BRS MLC K Kavitha has been implicated in the Delhi excise policy scam, with allegations of collecting upfront payments and transferring illicit funds to Goa for the Aam Aadmi Party's election campaign in 2021-22. The CBI's supplementary charge sheet details these accusations. Special judge Kaveri Baweja acknowledged the charge sheet on Monday, noting sufficient evidence to proceed against her.

The judge instructed the CBI to provide Kavitha with copies of the supplementary charge sheet. Kavitha, daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, is accused of conspiring with members of a liquor cartel called South Group and AAP leaders. Allegedly, Rs 100 crore in kickbacks were paid to Delhi's ruling party for liquor licences, with a significant portion used for the 2022 Goa assembly election campaign.

Money Transfer and Hawala Channels

The investigation revealed Kavitha's involvement in collecting upfront money and transferring illicit funds to Goa via hawala channels. The CBI charge sheet, accessed by the media, highlighted this role. Associates Abhishek Boinpally and PA Ashok Kaushik were allegedly involved in these transfers. The agency traced the money trail during the excise scam, showing benefits accrued by South Group led by Kavitha.

Arvind Kumar Singh of India Ahead News, owned by accused Mootha Gautam and Boinpally, allegedly acted as a conduit for transferring Rs 7.10 crore. The CBI used confession statements from hawala operator Devang Solanki, call records, Singh's bank statements, and WhatsApp chats to prove this transfer to Chanpreet Singh, an AAP activist in Goa.

Role of Key Individuals

The investigation identified Chanpreet Singh Rayat as the recipient of illicit funds through hawala channels in Goa. He managed the distribution and use of these funds during the AAP's Assembly Election campaign. Dinesh Arora, who turned approver, stated that Boinpally informed him about Rs 90-100 crore paid to AAP's media in-charge Vijay Nair.

Arora also revealed that Boinpally transferred Rs 30 crore through him using hawala routes to Rajesh Joshi of Chariot Media Productions. Joshi handled outdoor campaign work for AAP during the 2021-22 Goa Assembly polls. GPS data indicated meetings between Nair, Kavitha, and South Group members at various five-star hotels in Delhi from March 14-17, 2021.

Excise Policy Manipulations

Kavitha and her associates allegedly influenced the Delhi Government's excise policy by paying Rs 90-100 crore. Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia reportedly raised the wholesaler margin from 5% to 12% without justification in a draft Group of Ministers report on March 18, 2021. Another favourable change attributed to Kavitha's associates was raising turnover eligibility from Rs 100 crore, disqualifying most private distributors from obtaining wholesale licences.

Kavitha was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 15 at her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad for her involvement in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. On April 11, she was arrested by the CBI from Tihar jail in connection with the corruption case linked to the alleged scam.

Earlier this month, the Delhi High Court denied her bail in both money laundering and corruption cases. The central probe agency continues its investigation into these allegations.