Businessman Dinesh Arora made his disclosure statement before a Delhi court on Monday regarding the Delhi excise policy case and also sought to turn approver in the alleged scam case.
The court reserved the order on the plea made by the alleged close aide of Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, his lawyer said. Further details from the in-camera hearing are awaited.
Special Judge M K Nagpal also heard arguments on Arora’s plea to grant him pardon in the matter and allow him to become a witness in the matter.
The accused had earlier told the court that he was ready to make “true disclosure voluntarily” about the case and that he wanted to be an approver. “There is no pressure or threats by the CBI or anyone else,” he had said in response to the court’s query.
Meanwhile the CBI did not oppose an application earlier moved by Arora’s counsel for in-camera proceedings, stating that it was a sensitive matter and the media should be kept out at this early stage.
Arora had earlier in September been granted anticipatory bail by the court after the probe agency did not oppose the bail plea.
His disclosure statement could help probe agencies unravel an intricate network of liquor licensee, traders and pay offs to public servants related to the case, which had first been registered by the CBI in August.
The central agency had issued a look out circular (LOC) against eight people named as accused in the excise policy scam.
At the same time, Vijay Nair, one of the accused in the case and another ‘close aid’ of Manish Sisodia was arrested on Monday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) just ahead of his bail hearing against CBI custody, as per NDTV.
The ED will reportedly seek the custody of the two from a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court.
A court on Wednesday had reserved for November 14 its order on the bail applications of businessmen Vijay Nair, who is also communications chief of AAP, and Abhishek Boinpally in connection with the scam.
Among others accused are Sisodia, then excise commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna, deputy commissioner Anand Tiwari and assistant commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar.
It is believed that if Arora turns approver, he may provide the probe agencies with much needed information regarding the case, and depose against the other accused.
(With PTI inputs)
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