Delhi court orders framing of money laundering charges against Yasin Malik, six others
A special court in Delhi has ordered the framing of money laundering charges against jailed Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik and six others in a case involving alleged foreign funding through hawala channels.
Special NIA Judge Prashant Sharma, in an order dated September 9, said there was prima facie sufficient material and a “strong suspicion” against all seven accused to proceed under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The court’s order was made public on Thursday.
The other accused are Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Abdul Rashid Sheikh, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Naval Kishore Kapoor, Masrat Alam Bhat and Trison Farms and Construction Pvt Ltd.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that the accused received funds from the Pakistani establishment through hawala channels and other sources, which were subsequently routed through different channels for alleged secessionist and subversive activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The agency has alleged proceeds of crime amounting to about Rs 8.94 crore.
The money laundering case stems from a 2017 NIA case in which charges under the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act were invoked.
The accused could not be physically produced in court on September 30 for the formal framing of charges. The judge subsequently directed the ED to obtain their signatures on the charge documents at their respective prisons.
The matter will next be heard on October 30.
