NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday opposed Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez's plea seeking to turn approver in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case linked to alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, the agency said on Monday before a city court here.
Fernandez had sought approver status last month in a case linked to Sukesh Chandrashekhar, whom prosecutors describe as a serial conman. The actor has been accused of recieving several gifts from Sukesh Chandrashekhar, with whom she was reportedly in a relationship.
Chandrashekhar is currently lodged in Tihar Jail, where he allegedly continued to carry out criminal operations even while in custody. He is accused of impersonating a senior government official with ties to the Prime Minister's Office and the Union Home Ministry to defraud businesswoman Aditi Singh of nearly Rs 200 crore over seven to eight months.
Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma at Patiala House Court directed Fernandez to file the response to the ED's objections and scheduled the next hearing for May 12.
According to the federal probe agency, Fernandez cannot be trated as a minor participant in the case, claiming that she maintained "regular and sustained" contact with Chandrashekhar even after learning of his criminal background.
The agency further alleged that Fernandez failed to make complete disclosures across five statements recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and did not fully cooperate with investigators.
Fernandez was named as an accused in a supplementary prosecution complaint filed in August 2022, nearly eight months after the ED initially filed charges against eight others in December 2021. The Delhi High Court last year dismissed her petition to quash proceedings against her. Judge Sharma directed Fernandez to file a response to the ED's objections and scheduled the next hearing for Tuesday.
