Nawab Malik: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday (July 10) filed draft charges in a court against former Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik in connection with a money laundering case linked to the activities of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his aides.
Special public prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves filed the draft charges before special judge R N Rokade.
Besides Malik, who is currently in jail, draft charges were submitted against three other accused in the case. The matter was adjourned for hearing on July 24.
Submitting draft charges is a step towards beginning trial in a criminal case.
The court has to hear the arguments of both sides and decide which sections invoked by the investigating agency are maintainable based on the prima facie evidence.
The court will then read out the charges to the accused that he will face during the trial. The trial can commence once the accused pleads not guilty.
Malik has sought bail from the Bombay High Court and his plea has been reserved for order.
Malik was arrested last year
The NCP leader was arrested last year in February and is now in judicial custody. He is undergoing treatment at a private hospital here.
The special court had earlier denied bail to Malik, saying he ‘is in continuous possession of tainted property’ through a firm owned by his family.
The ED has alleged Dawood’s late sister Hasina Parkar was one of the prominent members of the gang, who was involved in unauthorised acquisition of key assets for raising terror funds.
According to the agency, the investigation has revealed that Malik, in connivance with Parkar and alleged Dawood gang members Salim Patel and Sardar Khan, hatched a criminal conspiracy to usurp a prime property - Goawala Compound in suburban Kurla - which belonged to one Munira Plumber.
Under a planned conspiracy, the power of attorney (PoA) of the property was executed by misguiding Plumber and a supplementary PoA was forged, the anti-money laundering agency claimed.
The ED's case against Malik is based on an FIR (first information report) registered by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) against Dawood, a designated global terrorist and key 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts accused, and his aides under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)
(With PTI inputs)
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