Delhi Court to hear Bollywood actor Jacqueline's bail plea in PMLA case tomorrow

Vineet Upadhyay (THE TIMES OF INDIA; October 23, 2022)

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed the bail plea filed by Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez on Saturday and told a Delhi court that she was not an ordinary person and had “huge financial resources with a high stature, influence as well as deep pockets”, and could interfere with the ongoing probe.

Additional sessions judge Shailender Malik, however, extended the interim bail granted to the actor till November 10. The court was hearing a case related to the Rs 200-crore money laundering case involving conman Sukesh Chandrashekar.

The court had granted interim bail to Fernandez on September 26 with five conditions, including that she wouldn’t leave the country without permission of the court. ED alleged that the actor had attempted to flee India. “During the course of the investigation, the applicant made an abortive bid to flee India but was barred by the immigration authorities,” ED told the court.

The agency claimed that the Sri Lankan actor hadn’t cooperated with the probe and tampered with evidence by deleting data from her phone and telling others to do so, which she had admitted too.

ED added that Fernandez kept “improving” her statements and till date denied she and her family members used the “proceeds of crime worth more than Rs 7.10 crores in the form of gifts and cash payments” despite being aware of the conman’s alleged criminal acts.

“This conduct of the accused shows her involvement in the act of commission of money laundering with criminal intent and knowledge on part of applicant/accused who tried her level best to utilise the proceeds of crime herself as well share the proceeds of crime with her family members,” the ED argued.