Shock to Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain, court said – ED has enough evidence to be involved in money laundering
The troubles of Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain, trapped in the money laundering case, do not seem to be diminishing. A Delhi court on Friday said the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) chargesheet has prima facie sufficient evidence against Jain. The chargesheet alleged that Satyendar Jain and his associates used hawala money to buy agricultural land in and around the capital.
Special Judge Geetanjali Goel on Friday took cognizance of the chargesheet filed by the ED against Satyendar Jain, his wife and eight others, including four firms, in the money laundering case. The court also summoned all the accused, including four companies, who were not in custody and fixed the matter for hearing on August 8. Satyendra Jain was virtually present, while Ankush and Vaibhav Jain were produced from judicial custody.
The court directed the ED to provide one copy each of the charge sheet and other relevant documents to Satyendar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain. All the three accused are presently in judicial custody.
The judge said that looking at the documents produced on record, it can be said that prima facie there is sufficient evidence regarding the involvement of the accused. Thus, cognizance is taken of offense under section 3 of PMLA punishable under section 4 of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2002.
Two accused got interim bail
During the hearing, the judge granted interim bail to two accused – Ajit Prasad Jain and Sunil Kumar Jain – till August 8. Till now both the accused have not been arrested in the case. The next hearing of the case will be on August 8.
The court is likely to hear the regular bail pleas of these two accused on August 8. Other accused have been asked to appear on this day.
The court adjourned till August 20 the hearing on the interim bail plea of Satyendar Jain on medical grounds. The Delhi High Court had directed the trial court not to consider a medical report filed by Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital till the next date of hearing (August 17) before the High Court.
The ED had initiated investigation under sections of Prevention of Money Laundering against Satyendar Jain and others on the basis of an FIR registered by the CBI on August 24, 2017. The CBI had alleged that Jain had acquired disproportionate assets between February 14, 2015 and May 31, 2017, during his tenure as a minister in the Delhi government.
ED had filed chargesheet on July 27
The chargesheet or prosecution complaint was filed in the Special Money Laundering Prevention Act (PMLA) court here on July 27 and the court has taken cognizance of it, the ED said in a statement.
In the chargesheet, the ED has arrested Satyendar Jain, his wife Poonam Jain and associates Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain and companies Akinchan Developers Pvt. Ltd., Prayas Infosolutions Pvt Ltd, Mangalayatan Developers Pvt Ltd and JJ Ideal Estate Pvt Ltd.
Satyendra Jain was arrested on 30 May
57-year-old Satyendar Jain, a minister without portfolio in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, was arrested by the ED on May 30. Jain was in charge of health, energy and some other departments before the probe agency took him into custody.
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had defended his minister, saying he was a staunchly honest and patriotic man who was being falsely implicated and hoped that he would be innocent after the ED probe. Will leave The ED had also arrested Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain and they are also in judicial custody along with the minister.
