A Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court in New Delhi has directed the framing of charges against separatist leader Yasin Malik and six others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) over allegations that they received foreign funds from the Pakistani establishment through hawala channels.
3 of PMLA, punishable u/sec. 4 of PMLA,” the Special Judge ordered on September 9. The next hearing is scheduled for October 30.
Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Masarat Alam and Abdul Rashid Sheikh, for which said accused persons have to be charged with offence u/sec. “I conclude that prima facie, there is sufficient material on record based upon which strong suspicion is raised against all seven accused persons, namely Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Naval Kishore Kapoor, M/s Trison Farms and Constructions Pvt Ltd, Mohd. The court has now directed the ED to obtain their signatures on the charges while they remain in judicial custody.
Special NIA Judge Prashant Sharma directed that charges be framed against all seven accused after considering the material placed before the court.
Scheduled offences generated proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 8,94,87,639, according to the ED’s investigation. The court also noted that the NIA, in its second supplementary chargesheet, had revealed that Malik received INR 15,75,595 from Saudi Arabia. The agency alleged that the money was subsequently received, routed, transferred, concealed, possessed, acquired and/or used by the accused in various forms and through different channels. The agency has further alleged that emails sent and received through an email account used by Malik indicated thathe had established a structure and mechanism across the world to raise funds for terrorist, secessionist and other unlawful activities in Jammu and Kashmir in the name of a freedom struggle.
