Jacqueline Fernandez Cash Laundering: Delhi Excessive Court docket Reserves Order On Plea Difficult Case

Court docket’s determination

The report said that in the course of the arguments, Jacqueline’s advocate contended that if the ED claimed that cash was distributed amongst 15 people, then everybody concerned and may very well be deemed responsible of cash laundering. He additional raised questions concerning monetary transactions involving a felony routinely constituting cash laundering. The Senior Advocate additional mentioned that the ED’s case hinges on Jacqueline’s consciousness of Sukesh’s felony background, as reported in a 2021 newspaper article. Aggarwal additionally asserted that being a celeb doesn’t suggest prior information of tainted funds. Mentioning that Sukesh met Jacqueline as a businessman, Aggarwal mentioned, “Businessmen usually have a number of circumstances in opposition to them. At this time, I’m paying the worth of being a celeb.”

All it’s essential to know concerning the case

Jacqueline, a well-liked Bollywood actress, filed a petition looking for the quashing of the ECIR (equal to an FIR) and the supplementary chargesheet filed by the ED in reference to the Rs 200 crore cash laundering case. Via a plea, she said that the proof filed by the Directorate of Enforcement would show that the Petitioner is an harmless sufferer of Sukesh’s maliciously focused assault. There isn’t any indication that she had any involvement in any respect in aiding him to launder his purportedly ill-gotten wealth. The actress can’t be prosecuted for the offences beneath Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Cash Laundering Act, 2002.

Through the courtroom listening to on Thursday, ED argued that its investigation beneath the Prevention of Cash Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, is separate and distinct from police investigations into scheduled offences. The lawyer representing the investigating company emphasised that people accused of cash laundering might differ from these charged within the predicate offence, given the distinct nature of the crime.

Earlier, ED opposed Jacqueline’s plea, claiming that she continued to obtain Sukesh’s items regardless of being conscious of his felony background. Defending her, Senior Advocate Siddharth Aggarwal and Advocate Prashant Patil mentioned being labelled as a cash launderer in public is problematic.

Aggarwal mentioned, “My prayer is to not quash the criticism fully, it is solely to quash the current applicant (Jacqueline). Sukesh is sitting in jail and finishing up extortion and fraud from there. EOW involves me, data my assertion, and finds that what I’ve to say is related to their investigation. ED has filed 4 complaints, however the investigation continues to be occurring, and the trial can not begin.”