ED arrests former DMK leader Jaffer Sadiq in drug-related money laundering case
- In Reports
- 05:12 PM, Jun 28, 2024
- Myind Staff
The ED has arrested former DMK leader Jaffer Sadiq in connection with a drug-related money laundering case. Officials interrogated him in Tihar jail, where he was detained for an NDPS case. Following the interrogation, the ED arrested him on June 26.
ED will seek Jaffer Sadiq's remand once he is produced in court. Earlier this month, the court allowed the ED to examine the former DMK leader in Tihar Jail.
Delhi's Patiala House court granted the ED permission to examine Jaffer Sadiq in Tihar Jail and record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency intended to interrogate him regarding a drug-related money laundering case.
On June 20, Special NDPS Judge Sudhir Kumar Sirohi authorised the ED to examine Jaffer Sadiq on June 25 and 26 and record his statement under Section 50 of the PMLA. The court directed jail authorities to make the necessary arrangements.
Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) for the ED, NK Matta, requested that ED officers be permitted to examine the accused. He also requested permission to bring a laptop and printer to ensure the recorded statements could be signed and data confronted to the accused, related to the recovery of 50kg of pseudoephedrine.
The prosecutor noted that the accused was examined from May 8 to 10, but the investigation was not completed. On May 1, the court had also granted the ED permission to record the statements of Jaffer Sadiq and four others in Tihar Jail.
ED, through Special Public Prosecutor NK Matta, filed an application seeking permission to examine and record statements from accused individuals Jaffer Sadiq, Mukesh PU, Mujeepur Rahaman R, Ashok Kumar, and SG Sadanandan (Sathanantham) under Section 50 of the PMLA, 2002, from 8 May 2024 to 10 May 2024.
Special Judge Sudhir Kumar Sirohi, noting the submissions, granted the ED permission to examine the accused and allowed ED officials to carry laptops, printers, and other necessary items for recording the statements.
As part of the investigation into drug-related money laundering involving former DMK member Jaffer Sadiq and others, the ED conducted raids at various sites in Tamil Nadu. This move followed a month after the ED registered a case under the PMLA against Sadiq, who was previously arrested by the NCB for his alleged involvement in an international drug trafficking case. The ED registered its case against Sadiq a day after his arrest by the NCB.
According to official sources, the financial fraud probe agency registered the case against the former DMK functionary after the NCB discovered Sadiq's connections with some "high profile" individuals.
The NCB's inquiry revealed that Sadiq led a network that sourced pseudoephedrine in India and trafficked it to Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia, marked as food-grade cargo. NCB officials believe that Sadiq's drug syndicate sent 45 consignments containing 3,500 kilograms of pseudoephedrine to various countries over three years.
Image source: ANI
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