The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has informed the Union Home Ministry that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which governs Delhi and Punjab, has allegedly received more than Rs 7 crore in foreign funds in violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), according to official sources.
The federal probe agency sent this communication after uncovering documents and emails during a money laundering investigation linked to drugs involving former Punjab AAP MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira and others. The investigation began in 2021, leading to Khaira’s arrest by the ED that same year. Khaira is now affiliated with the Congress party.
Official sources revealed that the ED had already communicated detailed information to the Union Home Ministry in August of last year, highlighting the alleged violations by AAP. These violations were categorized under the FCRA and The Representation of the People Act. Recently, the ED has reportedly shared new information regarding this case with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The ED’s findings suggest that AAP received overseas donations amounting to approximately Rs 7.08 crore. The party allegedly “mis-declared and manipulated” the identities and nationalities of foreign donors, among other details. The agency provided the MHA with verified information about the donors, including their nationalities, passport numbers, donation amounts, modes of donation, receiver’s bank account numbers, billing names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, times and dates of donations, and payment gateways used.
The ED’s report also mentioned fundraising events held by AAP through its overseas wing volunteers in the USA and Canada between 2015 and 2016, which were purportedly conducted in violation of the FCRA. In one specific instance, the ED noted that the names and nationalities of certain Canada-based donors were “concealed” in the party’s financial records to “hide” foreign donations being deposited into its Indian bank account.
A senior official noted that FCRA violation cases are typically investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The home ministry has the authority to request an investigation into these allegations based on the charges made by the ED.
