NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet against Faridabad-based Al-Falah University’s chairman Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, and the family-run Al-Falah Charitable Trust as part of a money laundering probe linked to the November 10 terror attack near Delhi’s Red Fort.
The federal investigative agency has also attached assets worth about Rs 140 crore of Al Falah University that came under the radar of the security agencies following the November 10 Red Fort area blast, and filed a charge sheet against Al Falah Group chairman Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui and his trust.
According to ED, the 54-acre land of the university based in Dhauj area of Faridabad, the buildings of the university, those belonging to various schools and departments and hostels have been attached as part of a provisional order issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.
The ED said that active role of Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui has been found during investigation. He exercised dominant control over Al-Falah Charitable Trust, Al-Falah University (including Al-Falah School of Medical Sciences and Research Centre) and related entities, and is found to be a key beneficiary of the unlawful proceeds.
"As Managing Trustee and Chancellor, he exercised complete administrative, financial and operational control, with other office-bearers functioning as nominal/proxy persons," the agency said.
Siddiqui was arrested by the ED in November on money laundering charges linked to cheating students of the educational institutions run by his trust. It was claimed by the agency that the educational institutes did not have the required valid accreditation for teaching.
An attachment is made under the PMLA to ensure that the proceeds of crime are not dissipated, sold off or transacted.
"Till now, the POC have been quantified at Rs. 493.24 Crore. POC is generated through fraudulent misrepresentations to regulators/stakeholders and consequential admissions and fee collections," the agency said.
As of now, it has been found that the Trust generated proceed of crime amounting to Rs. 493.24 Crore arising from scheduled offences linked to the above-said FIRs.
The Trust displayed/allowed false projections of NAAC ‘A’ grade accreditation after expiry and false projections of UGC Section 12(B) status, and deceived medical education regulators (NMC and DMER, Haryana). The Trust routed over Rs. 110 Crore to family-controlled firms.
“Siddiqui was found to have layered Proceed of crime through family-controlled entities. Institutional funds were routed through family-owned entities including Amla Enterprises LLP, Karkun Construction & Developers, Diyala Construction and Developers Pvt. Ltd., etc. Investigation also found foreign remittances and siphoning abroad," the agency said.
"Outward foreign remittances of over Rs. 3 Crore favouring his wife and around Rs. 1 Crore favouring his son are found. Other overseas business/investment links are also found. Siddiqui’s children, Afham Ahmed and daughter Afiya Siddiqa, are British nationals, and are currently looking into their citizenship status."
Officials had said that a government-appointed receiver can be restituted or vested with the administration of the University campus after the provisional attachment attains finality. This way, the education of the students will not suffer even as the criminal action and prosecution may continue, the officials had said.
The agency, while seeking the remand of Siddiqui in November from a court, had informed that the university and its controlling trust, under the direction of Siddiqui, generated "proceeds of crime" of at least Rs 415.10 crore by "dishonestly" inducing students and parents to part with money on the basis of false accreditation and recognition claims.
The case has links to a wider probe into a white-collar terror module, in which over two dozen people, including three doctors, have been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Jammu and Kashmir Police.
The university’s role emerged after Umar-un-Nabi, a doctor at Al-Falah Medical College, carried out a suicide car bombing outside the Red Fort on November 10 last year, killing at least 11 people.
