New Delhi: Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez has submitted a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking to quash a money laundering case registered against her by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
She has challenged the ED’s complaint and the second supplementary charge sheet dated August 17, 2022 under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
The petitioner asserted that the evidence presented by the ED will establish her innocence, portraying her as a victim of alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s targeted attack.
The petition strongly denies any involvement on her part in aiding Chandrashekhar to launder allegedly ill-gotten wealth.
Fernandez argued that she should not be prosecuted under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The ED had filed its second supplementary charge sheet naming her as an accused. Fernandez and another Bollywood personality, Nora Fatehi, have recorded their statements as witnesses in the case.
Earlier, assets and fixed deposits worth Rs 7.2 crore belonging to Fernandez were attached by the ED, which termed these gifts and properties as “proceeds” of crime received by the actor.
In February, the ED had filed its first supplementary charge sheet against Pinky Irani, an alleged aide of Chandrashekhar, who introduced him to Bollywood actors.
It had been alleged in the charge sheet that Pinky used to choose expensive gifts for Fernandez and drop them at her residence after Chandrashekhar made the payments.
In December 2021, the probe agency had filed the first charge sheet in this matter.
As per official sources, Chandrashekhar has spent around Rs 20 crore on different models and Bollywood celebrities. A few had, however, refused to accept gifts from him.
–IANS