PFI money laundering case: Court takes cognizance of ED charge sheet, issues production warrant

NEW DELHI: The Special Court on Monday took cognizance of a charge sheet (Prosecution Complaint) filed by the Enforcement Directorate against several office bearers of Popular Front of India (PFI) in the national capital.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Shailendra Malik of Delhi Court after hearing the submissions of ED, took cognizance of the charge sheet and issued a production warrant for all arrested accused before the court on December 16, 2022. The court issued summon to the PFI through its one chairman. The court noted that the funds were used for the purpose of unlawful activities, inciting violence, which allegedly happened in North East Delhi in February 2020.

The charge sheet named the accused members including Perwez Ahmad, President PFI Delhi, Mohammad Ilias, General Secretary PFI Delhi, and Abdul Muqeet, Office Secretary PFI Delhi.

According to the ED, the accused persons have revealed that they played an active role in bogus cash donations on behalf of PFI and in claiming and projecting PFI's unaccounted cash raised through unknown and suspicious sources as untainted and legitimate.

The Enforcement Directorate was represented by Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Naveen Kumar Matta along with Advocate Mohd Faizan Khan in the matter.

ED stated that the PMLA investigation has revealed that as a part of a criminal conspiracy hatched by PFI office bearers over the past many years, suspicious funds from within the country and abroad have been raised by PFI and related entities and have been clandestinely remitted to India in a concealed manner and deposited in their bank accounts over the years.

"These funds have been raised as a part of the scheduled offence of criminal conspiracy. The funds so raised or collected by PFI are thus nothing but proceeds of crime which they have layered, placed and integrated through their numerous bank accounts as well as those of their members or sympathizers. Thus PFI and its related entities have been involved in the continuous offence of money laundering over the years," ED stated. (ANI)

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