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.
“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. 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.
Special NIA Judge Prashant Sharma directed that charges be framed against all seven accused after considering the material placed before the court.
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 court therefore recorded that Yasin Malik received foreign funds to the tune of Rs 30,75,5951 as proceeds of crime generated through criminal activity and subsequently laundered. 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.
