A Delhi court on Saturday framed money laundering charges against alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekar and eight others, including Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez, in the Rs. 200 crore extortion case.
Special judge Prashant Sharma of Patiala House courts framed charges under sections 3 and 4 of MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act), cheating and impersonation against Chandrashekar and 22 others in the case lodged by the Delhi police crime branch.
The court has summoned all the accused persons on June 3 for formal framing of charges. A detailed order is awaited.
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED)’s case, based on the Delhi police MCOCA FIR from August 2021, alleges that Sukesh Chandrashekhar and his associates extorted Rs. 200 crores from complainant Aditi Singh, wife of former Ranbaxy promoter Shivender Singh, during 2020 and 2021, by impersonating a top central government official to arrange for her husband’s release on bail.
The federal agency in its chargesheet, claimed that the extorted money was laundered through a network of shell companies and transactions with a portion of money being purportedly used to buy luxury gifts and assets.
While the original chargesheet named eight persons, including Chandrashekhar as the prime accused and intermediary Pinky Irani, through whom Chandrasekhar got in touch with the actress Fernandez. The total number of accused is 18.
ED named Fernandez as an accused in its supplementary prosecution complaint of August 17, 2022, wherein she was accused of possessing proceeds of crime in the form of various gifted articles worth over Rs. 7 crore.
Jacqueline’s counsels have consistently maintained that she was not aware of Chandrashekhar’s criminal activities and that there was an absence of any criminal intent.
The ED had earlier this month opposed Fernandez’s plea to turn approver in the money laundering case, stating that she actively benefited from the proceeds of crime and was now attempting to escape prosecution.
The federal agency in its chargesheet, claimed that the extorted money was laundered through a network of shell companies and transactions with a portion of the money purportedly used to buy luxury gifts.
A Delhi court had in April granted bail to Chandrasekhar in the Enforcement Directorate case linked to the AIADMK “two leaves” election symbol, after observing that he had already spent over half of the maximum seven-year sentence prescribed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Of a total of 31 cases against him, Chandrashekhar has so far secured bail in 27 cases, with the remaining including the present extortion case and the money laundering probe arising from it.
