KOCHI: In a major blow to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the money laundering case against Campus Front of India (CFI) national general secretary K A Rauf Sherif, the Special Court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases in Kochi granted him bail on Friday.However, he has decided not to execute the bail because he fears the Uttar Pradesh Police will arrest him in a case registered against journalist Siddique Kappan and three others in Mathura.
The Kochi court ruled out ED’s version that around `2 crore found in the bank accounts was ‘proceeds of crime’ which was allegedly used to fund anti-CAA protest, Delhi riots and attempt to disturb communal and social harmony after Hathras gang rape incident.The court granted Rauf bail after directing him to execute a bond of `5 lakh and presenting two solvent sureties. The court also directed him to surrender his passport and not leave the country without prior permission. He was directed to appear before the investigation officer whenever his presence is required.
Rauf, a native of Anchal, Kollam, was arrested in December 2020 from Thiruvananthapuram while he was trying to board a flight to the UAE. The ED alleged that he, along with Popular Front of India (PFI) and CFI activists, collected more than Rs 2 crore from abroad which was used to fund anti-CAA protest and Delhi riots.
He also allegedly transferred fund to CFI national treasurer Atikur Rahman, who along with Malayali journalist Siddique Kappan and two others, were arrested by the UP Police for attempting to disrupt communal harmony after Hathras incident. When the bail petition was under consideration at the court in Kochi, ED filed the chargesheet in the case against Rauf, Siddique and three others at the Special Court for PMLA cases in Lucknow which accepted it recently.
According to the court, the ED case was primarily registered in 2018 taking the 2013 Narath PFI armed training case as the predicate offence. Later, the case registered by the UP Police against Siddique Kappan and three others last year was included as part of the case.“There is absolutely no case for ED that the ‘proceeds of crime’ in the case was derived by Rauf as a result of criminal activity relating to the scheduled offence in Narath case.
That apart, the amount in the bank account of Rauf projected as ‘proceeds of crime’ was credited to his account after the disposal of Narath case,” the court order stated.
According to persons close to Rauf, they have decided not to execute the bail as the UP Police are looking to record his arrest. Meanwhile, ED will challenge the decision to grant bail to Rauf at a higher court.