Jacqueline Fernandez named an accused in money laundering case
Sri Lankan born actress Jacqueline Fernandez has been named an accused in the money laundering case in India against conman Sukesh Chandrashekar.
The actor has been named an accused in the supplementary charge sheet filed in a Delhi court by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the money trail in the extortion case.
Earlier, Delhi Police had arrested Chandrashekar for allegedly extorting around ₹ 215 crore from Aditi Singh and Shivender Singh, members of the former promoters of pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy. Taking cognizance of the Delhi Police case, the ED started its money laundering probe.
The ED’s first chargesheet mentioned how Chandrashekar used the allegedly swindled money. In its supplementary chargesheet, it has alleged that Chandrashekar gave Fernandez gifts worth over ₹ 5 crore from the sum he swindled. It has named the actor as an accused, alleging that she was aware that the gifts were bought from the proceeds of the crime.
“Sukesh Chandrasekhar had given various gifts worth ₹ 5.71 crore to Jacqueline Fernandez from the proceeds of crime generated by criminal activities including extortion. “Chandrasekhar had put Pinky Irani, his long time associate and co-accused in this case to deliver the said gifts to her,” the ED had then said in a statement.
Earlier, the ED had attached assets belonging to the actor and had also questioned her. The agency in April provisionally attached ₹ 7 crore assets of the actor under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Among these gifts are a horse worth ₹ 52 lakh and a Persian cat worth ₹ 9 lakh, ED sources have said. The sources also alleged that Chandrashekar gave huge sums of money to the family members of Ms Fernandez. She had also received designer bags and clothes from luxury brands Gucci and Chanel, the sources said. Chandrasekhar had also given ₹ 15 lakh to a script-writer on the behalf of Fernandez as an advance for writing a webseries project, they added.
Ms Fernandez is a Sri Lankan national and made her debut in the Hindi film industry in 2009.
The ED has arrested a total of eight people in this case. These include Chandrshekhar and his wife Leena Maria Paul. (NDTV / Colombo Gazette)
