New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would face more queries on collecting funds from abroad with the Union Home Ministry deciding to inspect its account books.

The decision to check the books came after the party sent replies to queries from the Home Ministry regarding violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. Officials said the ministry needed more clarifications.

The Home Ministry investigations came following a directive of the Delhi High Court in response to a public interest litigation.

The AAP, which is all set to form the government in Delhi on Saturday, said it was ready for any kind of probe and insisted that it had taken donations only from Indians, residing in the country or abroad. “If we are found guilty of any wrongdoing, we will accept double the punishment,” AAP leader Yogendra Yadav said.

In a statement earlier, the AAP said it had collected about Rs 19 crore till November 8 as donation from 63,000 people, including a host of NRIs.

It claimed to have received donations ranging from Rs 10 to several lakhs, from rickshaw-pullers to traders and industrialists, to contest the polls and bring in a “graft-free” administration.

Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit had questioned the source of the AAP’s funding.
The plea was filed by advocate M L Sharma, who also sought seizure of accounts and funds secured by the AAP, in the Delhi High Court in October. The court had asked the Home Ministry to look into the matter.

“A direction to be issued to register a criminal case against the respondents (AAP members) under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) and conduct of day-to-day trial proceedings with the supervision of the court, in the interest of justice,” the plea sought, naming party leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and lawyers Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan.