New Delhi, Oct 24: A Delhi court has ordered the trial of jailed separatist leader Yasin MalikBaramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Engineer Rashid, and five others in a 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 sufficient material was available on record to raise a strong suspicion of their involvement in the alleged offence.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 8.94 crore were generated and received, routed, transferred, concealed, possessed, acquired and used by the accused through various channels.
The accused include Malik, chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF); separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah; Engineer Rashid; Masarat Alam; Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali; Naval Kishore Kapoor; and M/s Trison Farms and Constructions Pvt Ltd.
The ED case stems from a 2017 National Investigation Agency (NIA) case in which charges under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) were invoked.
According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly 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.
The ED has further alleged that the money was routed through a 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 accused Malik of receiving foreign funds worth more than Rs 3 crore and laundering the proceeds of crime. It has also alleged that Shah and Rashid received funds through intermediaries and maintained links with separatist organisations.
The allegations against the accused are yet to be established through trial. (Agencies)