NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India on Friday granted bail to MLA Abbas Ansari in connection with a money laundering case. Ansari, the son of the late gangster-politician and former MLA Mukhtar Ansari, had been in jail since November 2022. His father passed away in custody a few months ago.
A bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Pankaj Mithal granted relief to Abbas Ansari. The Supreme Court had previously issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 14 August, seeking its reply to Ansari's appeal challenging the Allahabad High Court's order, which had denied him bail.
The Allahabad High Court had rejected Ansari’s bail plea on 9 May, citing the material on record, including flow charts that clearly demonstrated the origin of the laundered funds and how they were funnelled into Ansari's accounts.
The high court had stated, “Considering the material available on record, including the flow charts which clearly demonstrate the origin of funds and also explain how the funds found their way into the accounts of the accused Ansari, this court finds him not entitled to bail at this stage.”
Furthermore, the court pointed to the alleged money trail that linked Ansari to the movement of funds between two firms, M/s Vikas Construction and M/s Aaghaaz, which the ED claimed were used by Ansari for laundering money.
The case against Abbas Ansari, an MLA from Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), was registered by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. This was based on three previous cases against him.
Ansari is currently lodged in Kasganj jail.
