NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez on Tuesday knocked on the doors of the Delhi High Court seeking dismissal of the FIR registered by the ED for her alleged involvement in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case, her lawyer Prashant Patil told TNIE.
The petition would most likely come up for hearing before the Delhi HC in a week, Patil said.
"She moves the Delhi HC, seeks to quash the second supplementary charge sheet filed by the ED in the case and related proceedings pending before a trial court (Patiala House Court) here," Patil said
Fernandez sought quashing of the ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) of August 08, 2021, & the 2nd Supplementary complaint filed under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002 by the ED.
The petition, accessed by this newspaper, filed by Fernandez before the Delhi HC, revealed that she is an innocent victim of Sukesh Chandrashekhar's maliciously targeted attack.
"There is no indication that she had any involvement whatsoever in aiding him to launder his purportedly ill-gotten wealth. Hence, she cannot be prosecuted for the offences under Section 3, and 4 of the PMLA 2002," her petition said.
The ED (Enforcement Directorate), which is the proof agency in the case, is resorting to making hypothetical submissions that she 'ought to have known that she was dealing with a person of bad character, her plea said.
Following a thorough investigation, the EOW (Economic Offences Wing) has not only found that she is innocent but has also gone to the extent of enlisting her as a prosecution witness to bolster their case against the prime accused, Sukesh Chandrashekhar, her plea said.
"The whole case of the prosecution agency is based on surmises and assumptions. Subjecting her to trial for offences under the rigorous provisions of the PMLA 2002 based solely on the complainant agency's unsubstantiated assumptions, devoid of any concrete documentary evidence, is unwarranted and unjust," her plea said.
Bollywood actor Fernandez, 38, is one of the accused in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case involving prime accused Chandrashekhar and others, was granted regular bail in the case on November 15, 2022.
The actress, a Sri Lankan national, faced serious allegations of money laundering charges and she was not cooperating with the investigators properly, the ED claimed in its chargesheet.
The agency had named Jacqueline as an accused in the charge sheet it filed in the extortion case against Chandrashekar. She was accused of allegedly receiving expensive gifts from the conman, who extorted crores of rupees from celebrities and businessmen.
On August 17, 2022, a supplementary chargesheet was filed by the ED against conman, Sukesh Chandrashekar in the same Delhi Court in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case.
The ED chargesheet revealed that Jacqueline was named as accused number 10 in the case.
Patil vehemently denied the involvement of her client with Sukesh and claimed innocence in the case.
The Delhi Police had earlier registered an FIR against Chandrashekar for allegedly duping the spouses of former promoters of Ranbaxy, Shivinder Singh, and Malvinder Singh, of Rs 200 crore besides ongoing investigations against him in several cases across the country.
Chandrasekhar and his wife Leena Paulose, facing proceedings in a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate, were earlier arrested by Delhi Police, along with others.
The police have also invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case.
The Delhi Police had alleged that Paulose and Chandrasekhar along with others used hawala routes, and created shell companies to park the money earned from proceeds of crime.
(With inputs from PTI)