The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Monday opposed Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez’s application seeking to turn approver in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma of the Patiala House Courts directed Fernandez to file her response to the ED’s reply and listed the matter for further hearing on May 12.
Fernandez had moved an application last month seeking pardon and permission to turn approver in the case, in which Chandrashekhar is the principal accused. She was named in the matter over allegations that she received luxury gifts and other benefits from Chandrashekhar, who was reportedly in a relationship with her.
The ED argued that Fernandez could not be treated as a minor participant in the case, since she was a significant beneficiary of the proceeds of crime and an active participant in the alleged money laundering operation.
The agency stated that Fernandez remained in regular contact with Chandrashekhar even after becoming aware of his criminal background. Granting her approver status in such circumstances would amount to a miscarriage of justice and dilute the seriousness of the offence, it noted.
According to the ED, Chandrashekhar had arranged expensive gifts, financial benefits and luxury items for Fernandez using proceeds generated through criminal activities linked to the money laundering case.
The prosecution contended that the applicant, having prior knowledge of the primary accused’s criminal antecedents, wilfully continued the association. By receiving and utilizing assets derived from criminal activity for personal and familial gain, she became an active participant in the laundering process.
The agency further contended that Fernandez’s claim of being a victim was self-serving and inconsistent with the material collected during the investigation.
The ED also accused Fernandez of failing to cooperate fully during the probe, alleging that she did not make complete and truthful disclosures in her statements recorded on five separate occasions.
Chandrashekhar is accused of impersonating a senior government functionary, allegedly acting on behalf of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Union Home Minister, to cheat businesswoman Aditi Singh of nearly Rs 200 crore over a period of several months.
The original prosecution complaint in the case was filed in December 2021 against eight accused persons, though Fernandez was not initially named. The actor has stated that she appeared before the ED on five occasions and gave statements under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). However, on August 17, 2022, the ED filed a second supplementary prosecution complaint in which she was arraigned as an accused in the case.
The post ED opposes Jacqueline Fernandez plea seeking approver status in Sukesh Chandrashekhar money laundering case appeared first on India Legal.