CBI books, raids AAP ex-MLA over foreign donations

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday conducted searches at the premises of former AAP MLA and party’s Gujarat poll co-incharge Durgesh Pathak after registering an FIR against him for allegedly receiving foreign donations for his party in contravention of Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) norms, officials said. Besides Pathak, the agency booked another office-bearer of the party Kapil Bhardwaj in the case.

The Aam Aadmi Party, while receiving funds from overseas supporters, “deliberately” committed a series of irregularities as it wanted to conceal the identity and nationality of real donors, the CBI found in its investigation in the FCRA violation case against the party leaders.

According to the FIR accessed by The Tribune, the Ministry of Home Affairs had in May 2024 asked the CBI to investigate a possible violation of FCRA by AAP and its office-bearers on a secret information shared by the ED.

The CBI then began probing the matter for almost a year and found a series of discrepancies in FCRA contribution.

(With agency inputs)