The Patiala House Court in Delhi on Saturday extended interim protection granted to actor Jacqueline Fernandez till November 10 in a money laundering case related to conman Sukesh Chandrashekar, the Hindustan Times reported.
The actor was summoned by the Patiala House Court on August 31 after the Enforcement Directorate had named her in a supplementary chargesheet for her alleged role in the case.
The court on Saturday asked the central agency to provide a charge sheet and other relevant documents to all parties.
The Enforcement Directorate is investigating the money trail on allegations that Chandrashekhar used the amount gained by cheating and extorting high-profile individuals to buy gifts for Fernandez.
Chandrashekhar was arrested by the Delhi Police on August 7 for allegedly extorting around Rs 215 crore from Shivinder Singh, a former promoter of pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy, and his wife Aditi Singh. He had allegedly impersonated the Union home secretary, law secretary and an officer in the prime minister’s office while speaking to them.
The supplementary chargesheet had mentioned that Chandrashekhar had given gifts worth Rs 5.71 crore to Fernandez from the proceeds of crime generated by criminal activities, including extortion. The investigating agency also claimed that Fernandez was aware that the gifts given to her were the proceeds of a crime.
On Saturday, the Enforcement Directorate opposed the bail extension saying that the actor appears to be “deep-pocketed” and she could interfere with the investigation, the Hindustan Times reported.
The agency on Saturday said Fernandez never cooperated with the inquiry and only made the disclosure when confronted with evidence. She also tried to flee India but could not do so due to a look-out circular, the agency claimed.
In two statements to the Enforcement Directorate recorded in August and October last year, Fernandez had told the agency that she received three designer bags from luxury brands Gucci and Chanel, two Gucci outfits, a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes, two pairs of diamond earrings and a bracelet of multi-coloured stones along with two Hermes bracelets as gifts from Chandrashekhar.
In April, the Enforcement Directorate had attached assets worth Rs 7.27 crore belonging to Fernandez.
Meanwhile, Chandrashekar on Saturday said that Fernandez was not at fault as he had given her and her family gifts when they were in a relationship, NDTV reported.
“It’s very, very fortunate that Jacqueline has been made an accused in the PMLA (money laundering) case,” he said in a handwritten letter for the media, released through his lawyer.
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