NEW DELHI: A court in New Delhi has ordered a trial against jailed separatist leader Yasin Malik, Baramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, alias Engineer Rashid, and five others in a Rs 8.94 crore money laundering case linked to alleged funding from Pakistan through hawala channels for secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.Special Judge Prashant Sharma ordered the framing of charges against the seven accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), observing that the material on record raised strong suspicion of their involvement in the offence.The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that proceeds of crime worth Rs 8.94 crore were generated and received by the accused and subsequently routed, transferred, concealed, possessed, acquired and used through various channels.
Yasin Malik, Engineer Rashid among 7 accused
The accused include Malik, chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF); separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah; Baramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, alias Engineer Rashid; Masarat Alam; Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali; Naval Kishore Kapoor; and M/s Trison Farms and Constructions Pvt Ltd.The ED’s case stems from a 2017 case registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), in which charges were invoked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
ED alleges Pakistan funding
The prosecution has alleged that the accused received funds from the “Pakistani establishment” through hawala channels and other means to promote secessionist activities and carry out acts prejudicial to the law of the land.According to the ED, the money was moved through a complex network of cash couriers and intermediaries who allegedly collected funds from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi and delivered them to separatist leaders, including Malik, for subversive activities.The agency has alleged that Malik received foreign funds worth more than Rs 3 crore and laundered the proceeds of crime. It has also accused Shah and Rashid of receiving funds through intermediaries and maintaining links with separatist organisations.The allegations are yet to be established through trial.(With PTI inputs)
