Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik was produced before a special court in Mumbai on Wednesday (February 23) after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him in a money laundering case probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, his aides and the Mumbai underworld.
The ED has sought the custody of the Malik for 14 days for further investigation.
Speaking on behalf of the investigating agency, additional solicitor general Anil Singh and advocate Hiten Venegaonkar told the court that Malik had introduced fake tenants on properties bought with money from Dawood to bring down the registration value of the land.
The agency said that these properties were first acquired with Dawood’s money by his sister Haseena Parkar, and Malik later introduced fake tenants on them. The properties were then allegedly sold at rates much below the market prices.
“The property is under their control. It is a clear case of money laundering. Hence we ask for custody,” the ED said.
Malik’s counsel Amit Desai said the ED had filed a 35-page remand application to get maximum custody.
“They have every minute detail of all statements in it to get maximum custody. They are complicating it, it’s unfortunate. Matter is not complicated,” he said.
“They just need to concentrate on transaction and offence of money laundering and proceeds of crime. All the transactions have taken place in 1999 and 2003. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) came in force in 2005. All of a sudden, they reached his house. They woke him up, found nothing in his house search,” he added.
In the morning, Malik was taken to the ED’s office in south Mumbai for questioning and he was later arrested.
The 62-year-old NCP leader was taken to the state-run J J Hospital in the afternoon for a medical check-up after which he was produced before the judge. Malik, clad in a white kurta, was brought to the courtroom of Special Judge RN Rokade, designated to hear matters related to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), at 4.50 pm and was made to stand in the witness box. When the judge asked him if he had any grievances, Malik said the ED officials came to his house in the morning and took him to their office. “In the office, they (ED) made me sign a document which they later said was the summons,” the minister told the court.
Malik’s statement has been recorded under the PMLA and he was arrested under the same provisions as he was evasive in his replies, the officials said. His party, the NCP, said he was taken by the ED from his residence at around 6 am.
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“Ladenge aur jeetenge (Will fight and win),” Malik said while being taken to the hospital.
The ED is reportedly probing the NCP leader’s deal with one Sardar Shahvali Khan, a close aide of Dawood, and Haseena’s bodyguard Salim Patel. BJP leader and former CM Devendra Fadnavis had recently accused Malik of buying property worth crores from Sardar Shahvali Khan and Salim Patel for just ₹30 lakh.
A week before, the ED had searched several places in Mumbai for unearthing financial transactions connected to Dawood Ibrahim.
The summons issued against Malik are related to a case registered against Dawood Ibrahim, his brother Anees, Iqbal and close aide Chota Shakeel.
The ED claims it has evidence to relate several benami investments with Nawab Malik.