New Delhi [India], July 3 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed the petition moved by Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez in connection with the Rs 200 crore money laundering case. Jacqueline had challenged the charge sheet filed against her in the Rs 200 crores money laundering case. In this case, Sukesh Chandrasekhar is also an accused. Justice Anish Dayal dismissed the petition after hearing counsels at length. The detailed order of judgment is to be uploaded by the High Court. The High Court had reserved the order on actor Jacqueline Fernandez's petition challenging the Enforcement Directorate's complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The case revolves around allegations of her receiving lavish gifts from conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
Senior Advocate Sidharth Aggarwal, along with Advocate Prashant Patil and Shakti Pandey, represented Jacqueline Fernandez, while Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain appeared on behalf of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
During arguments, Aggarwal had contended that if the ED claims that money was distributed among 15 individuals, then by that logic, everyone involved, whether a grocery vendor, court officials, or lawyers, could be deemed guilty of money laundering. He had questioned the premise that any financial transaction involving a criminal automatically constitutes money laundering, suggesting that such an interpretation would create undue fear. Aggarwal had further argued that the ED's case hinges on Fernandez's awareness of Sukesh Chandrashekhar's criminal background, as reported in a 2021 newspaper article.
He asserted that merely being a celebrity does not imply prior knowledge of tainted funds. "Businessmen often have multiple cases against them," he stated, adding that Fernandez was introduced to Chandrashekhar as a business tycoon. "Today, I am paying the price of being a celebrity," Aggarwal concluded. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) argued that its investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, is separate and distinct from police investigations into scheduled offences. It had emphasised that individuals accused of money laundering may differ from those charged in the predicate offence, given the distinct nature of the crime.
ED had opposed Jacqueline's plea and submitted that she continued to enjoy Sukesh's gifts despite knowing his criminal antecedents. The petition to quash the case is an attempt to stall proceedings. Advocates for Jacqueline had submitted that being in the public eye and being labelled as a money launderer is problematic. "My prayer is not to quash the complaint completely, it's only to quash the present applicant (Jacqueline). Sukesh is sitting in jail and carrying out extortion and fraud from there. EOW comes to me, records my statement, and finds that what I have to say is relevant to their investigation. Ed has filed four complaints, but the investigation is still going on, and the trial cannot start," said Senior Advocate Siddharth Aggarwal.
Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez had filed a petition seeking the quashing of the ECIR (equivalent to an FIR) and the supplementary chargesheet filed by the ED in connection with the Rs 200 crore money laundering case. Jacqueline, through a plea, stated that the evidence filed by the Directorate of Enforcement would prove that the Petitioner is an innocent victim of Sukesh Chandrashekhar's maliciously targeted attack. "There is absolutely no indication that she had any involvement whatsoever in aiding him to launder his purportedly ill-got wealth. Hence, she cannot be prosecuted for the offences under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002," the plea stated. (ANI)