NEW DELHI: A city court has summoned the Special Director of the Enforcement Directorate over the non-appearance of the prosecution in a money laundering case registered against former AAP leader Tahir Hussain in relation to the 2020 riots case.
Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat at Karkardooma Courts took note of the non-appearance on behalf of the prosecution in the court for filing a reply and supply of applications or judgments or arguments in the matter.
“There was a direction to provide an advance copy to the counsel for the accused. However, neither an advance copy has been supplied nor even a reply has been filed in the Court. Previously, there was non-appearance on behalf of the prosecution in the court for the purpose of filing a reply and supply of applications/judgments/arguments. Though it was stated that such a thing would not happen again, however, it has again happened,” the ASJ said.
Observing the scenario, the court said, “In these circumstances, let the Special Director (Directorate of Enforcement) to appear in person on the next date i.e. 08.12.2023 at 2.00 PM.” The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case was registered against Hussain on the basis of the three FIRs lodged in relation to the riots that broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020.
The Delhi HC last year dismissed the former AAP leader’s plea challenging the framing of charges against him in the PMLA case. The ED claims that Hussain “hatched a conspiracy with his associates to fraudulently withdraw money” from the accounts of certain companies — M/s. Show Effect Advertisement Pvt. Ltd. (SEAPL), M/s. Essence Cellcom Pvt. Ltd. (ECPL) and M/s. Essence Global Services Pvt. Ltd. (EGSPL), “owned and controlled” by him “through bogus and malafide transactions with bogus entry operators on the strength of fake bills”.