“Blatant interference”: India lodges strong protest with Germany over statement on Kejriwal arrest

New Delhi [India], March 23 (ANI): The Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy, George Enzweiler, called upon officials at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday.

According to ministry sources, the MEA lodged a strong protest with the German envoy over the ‘blatant interference’ in India’s internal matters by the country’s foreign office.

Enzweiler was seen leaving the Ministry of External Affairs office in the national capital’s South Block.

The visit by the envoy came on the heels of the German Foreign Ministry issuing an official statement on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

“We have taken note, India is a democratic country. We assume and expect that the standards relating to independence of Judiciary and basic democratic principles will also be applied in this case. Like anyone facing accusations, Mr Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial, this includes he can make use of all available legal avenues without restrictions. The presumption of innocence is a central element of the rule of law and must apply to him,” the spokesperson of the German Foreign Ministry said earlier.

Kejriwal was, on Friday, remanded to ED custody for seven days–till March 28, a day after he was arrested by the probe agency for alleged money laundering in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

Special CBI judge Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Court passed the order after the Delhi CM was produced on Friday following his arrest on Thursday night by the central agency.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi excise policy case 2022, which was later scrapped.

In its arguments before the court, the ED alleged that the CM of Delhi is the key conspirator and kingpin in demanding kickbacks from businessmen. The agency further claimed that Kejriwal was directly involved in the formation of the Excise policy. The ED counsel claimed that Vijay Nair, who was the media in charge of AAP, was working for Delhi CM Kejriwal.

Nair, who the agency said lives adjacent to the residence of Kejriwal, acted as a middleman between the AAP and the South group. The ED further claimed that the proceeds of crime are not only Rs 100 crore but profits made by bribe givers were also proceeds of crime. The agency alleged that it had traced Hawala trails of Rs 45 crore that was used in the Goa Election.

The arrest by the central agency has drawn severe criticism for the BJP-led centre from the opposition leaders.

The AAP will “gherao” the prime minister’s residence on March 26 to register its protest against Kejriwal’s arrest by the ED, the party’s leader Gopal Rai said on Friday.

Two senior AAP leaders, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are in judicial custody in the excise policy case. Sisodia, who was the then Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested by the CBI on February 26 following several rounds of questioning. On October 5, ED arrested Sanjay Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha member.

Kejriwal’s arrest came days after the ED arrested Bharat Rashta Samithi (BRS) leader and daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao K Kavitha, in connection with its investigation into money laundering charges linked to the now-scrapped excise policy. Kavitha is in ED custody till March 23.