A special PMLA court has made serious remarks on the money laundering case against Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik. The court said that the statements of the witnesses prima facie show the involvement of Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik in money laundering.
Special judge RN Rokade made the remarks in his order sending Malik to 14-day judicial custody in a money laundering probe involving the activities of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his associates. A copy of this order became available on Tuesday. The matter is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Senior NCP leader Malik (62) was arrested by the ED on February 23. He was sent to judicial custody on Monday as the probe agency did not seek further remand. The ED may not have sought further custody of Malik but it had told the court that the accused was not cooperating in the investigation.
In its order, the court said, “The statements of the witnesses were brought to the notice of the court during the progress of the investigation.” Based on the material placed before the court, the accused was remanded to ED custody till March 7. “It is to be noted here that prima facie the statements of the witnesses show the involvement of the accused in money laundering,” the court said.
The court said that the proceeds of the offense are yet to be identified by the competent authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 and the investigation is still at a preliminary stage. “It is pertinent to note that the accused has challenged the earlier custody orders as well as his arrest before the Bombay High Court,” the court said. Considering the grounds mentioned in the custody report, the accused is required to be sent to judicial custody for 14 days.