NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday ordered framing of charges against actor Jacqueline Fernandez, alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekar and 15 others in a Rs 200-crore money laundering case, paving the way for the commencement of trial proceedings.
Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma observed that there was sufficient material on record to raise a strong suspicion against all the accused. The court held that they were liable to be charged under Section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), punishable under Section 4 of the Act. The court summoned all accused on June 3 for formal framing of charges.
Fernandez, who was questioned multiple times by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), was named as an accused in a supplementary chargesheet filed by the agency. The ED alleged that she remained in constant touch with Chandrashekar and received expensive gifts through his associate Pinky Irani.
Earlier this month, the actor withdrew her plea seeking to become an approver in the case. Opposing the plea, the ED argued that Fernandez continued her association with Chandrashekar despite being aware of his criminal background.
According to the agency, she received and enjoyed benefits allegedly derived from the proceeds of crime for herself and her family members. The ED contended that her sustained communication with Chandrashekar and acceptance of gifts undermined her claim of being an unwitting victim.
The prosecution alleged that Chandrashekar operated an organised criminal network from inside prison, impersonating senior government officials and extorting large sums of money. Investigators claimed he generated proceeds of crime exceeding `200 crore through cheating, impersonation, extortion and criminal intimidation.
The ED further alleged that the money was laundered through bank accounts, hawala channels, cash transactions and shell entities before being used to purchase properties, luxury vehicles and high-value gifts.
