Money Laundering Case: Delhi HC Issues Notice to ED on Jacqueline Fernandez Plea

The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in response to a petition by Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez, seeking to quash a money laundering case registered against her by the agency.

Fernandez challenged the ED’s complaint and the second supplementary charge sheet dated August 17, 2022, under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

Special counsel Zoheb Hossain, appearing for the central probe agency, opposed the petition’s maintainability, asserting that a challenge to the prosecution complaint is not sustainable when there is no challenge to the order of cognizance taken by the special judge.

Fernandez’s counsel, Senior Advocate Siddharth Aggarwal, argued that the petition’s prayers encompass every order passed in the criminal proceedings and clarified that the order of cognizance is unrelated to her.

After a brief hearing, Justice Jyoti Singh issued a notice and sought the ED’s reply, listing the matter for the next hearing on January 29.

Fernandez maintains that the evidence presented by the ED will establish her innocence, portraying her as a victim of the alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s targeted attack. The petition vehemently denies any involvement on her part in aiding Chandrashekhar to launder allegedly ill-gotten wealth.

She argues against being prosecuted under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The ED had named her as an accused in its second supplementary charge sheet, and both Fernandez and another Bollywood personality, Nora Fatehi, have recorded their statements as witnesses in the case.

Earlier, the ED attached assets and fixed deposits worth Rs 7.2 crore belonging to Fernandez, terming these gifts and properties as “proceeds” of the crime received by the actor.

In February, the ED filed its first supplementary charge sheet against Pinky Irani, an alleged aide of Chandrashekhar, who introduced him to Bollywood actors. The charge sheet alleged that Pinky chose expensive gifts for Fernandez and delivered them to her residence after Chandrashekhar made the payments.

In December 2021, the probe agency filed the first charge sheet in this matter. Official sources indicate that Chandrashekhar spent around Rs 20 crore on various models and Bollywood celebrities, with some refusing to accept gifts from him.