Money-laundering: ED chargesheets Jaffer Sadiq, Ameer

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Chennai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday filed a final report in the money- laundering case registered against Jaffer Sadiq and 12 others facing international drug trafficking charges. The ED filed a 302-page chargesheet in the special court for cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act ( PMLA ) against Jaffer Sadiq, his wife Ammena Banu, brother Mohammed Saleem, film director Ameer, and others. The ED has also sought the court's permission to attach all the properties owned by eight firms, which are also arrayed as accused in the case.

In Feb, the Narcotics Crime Bureau (NCB) raided a godown in Delhi and arrested three people in possession of 50kg of pseudoephedrine. Investigations revealed that they were operating at the behest of Chennai-based Jaffer Sadiq and were smuggling the controlled substance to Australia and New Zealand under the guise of exporting health mix. Sadiq, who is a former DMK functionary, was arrested in March.



His aide Sadanandam was also arrested. Later, the ED registered a case to probe the money-laundering angle since Sadiq and Sadanandam had already been involved in a hawala racket and were booked by the customs. Recently, the Madras high court dismissed a plea moved by Jaffer Sadiq, challenging a formal arrest made by the ED when he was lodged in Tihar prison.

He challenged the arrest primarily on the ground that he was not produced before the special judge within 24 hours of arrest, as mandated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Rejecting the contention, the high court observed that in view of the settled legal position of law, if a person is already in judicial custody in connection with another case, they can be formally arrested in respect of the investigation of a subsequent case Chennai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday filed a final report in the money- laundering case registered against Jaffer Sadiq and 12 others facing international drug trafficking charges. The ED filed a 302-page chargesheet in the special court for cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Jaffer Sadiq, his wife Ammena Banu, brother Mohammed Saleem, film director Ameer, and others.

The ED has also sought the court's permission to attach all the properties owned by eight firms, which are also arrayed as accused in the case. In Feb, the Narcotics Crime Bureau (NCB) raided a godown in Delhi and arrested three people in possession of 50kg of pseudoephedrine. Investigations revealed that they were operating at the behest of Chennai-based Jaffer Sadiq and were smuggling the controlled substance to Australia and New Zealand under the guise of exporting health mix.

Sadiq, who is a former DMK functionary, was arrested in March. His aide Sadanandam was also arrested. Later, the ED registered a case to probe the money-laundering angle since Sadiq and Sadanandam had already been involved in a hawala racket and were booked by the customs.

Recently, the Madras high court dismissed a plea moved by Jaffer Sadiq, challenging a formal arrest made by the ED when he was lodged in Tihar prison. He challenged the arrest primarily on the ground that he was not produced before the special judge within 24 hours of arrest, as mandated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Rejecting the contention, the high court observed that in view of the settled legal position of law, if a person is already in judicial custody in connection with another case, they can be formally arrested in respect of the investigation of a subsequent case.