A Delhi court has issued a non- bailable warrant against Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah after he repeatedly evaded the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons asking him to join probe in an over a decade-old case of money laundering registered against him for alleged terror financing. Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma issued the arrest warrant after the ED told the court that Shah was repeatedly evading the summons asking him to depose before it and join the investigation.
Shah was issued summons by the ED last month as well as in May but he failed to keep the date.
According to Special Public Prosecutor N K Matta, the matter relates to August 2005 wherein the Delhi Police's Special Cell had arrested 35-year old Mohammed Aslam Wani, an alleged hawala dealer, who had claimed that he had passed on Rs 2.25 crore to Shah.
The ED had registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Shah and Wani.
Wani was arrested allegedly with Rs 63 lakh, received through 'hawala' channels from the Middle East, and a large cache of ammunition on August 26, 2005.
During questioning, he had told the police that Rs 50 lakh was to be delivered to Shah and Rs 10 lakh to Jaish-e- Mohammad area commander in Srinagar, Abu Baqar, and the rest was his commission.
The central probe agency has issued several summons to Shah over the last few years in pursuance of the case. He has in the past said that the ED case against him was “politically motivated”.
(With PTI inputs)
