Police reject Jacqueline Fernandez’s plea to defer questioning in money laundering case
Actor Jacqueline Fernandez on Monday received fresh summons from the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police to appear on 14 September in connection with the Rs 200 crore money laundering case allegedly involving conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
A senior police officer told a news agency that Jacqueline was asked to appear at the EOW office at Mandir Marg around 11 am on Wednesday.
After the actress cited prior commitments and asked for a date after 15 days, Delhi Police postponed the questioning, which was scheduled on Monday. However, Delhi Police didn’t give her much time and asked her to join the investigation on Wednesday.
This is the third time that summons have been issued to the actor by the police to join the investigation. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has named Jacqueline in their chargesheet in money laundering cases.
The ED chargesheet has claimed that Fernandez knew about Sukesh’s involvement in criminal cases but she chose to overlook his criminal past and indulged in financial transactions with him. The ED had registered a case of money laundering in the alleged scam over the FIR registered by the Delhi Police. ED had earlier stated that Fernandez’s statements were recorded on August 30 and October 20, 2021, where she admitted to having received gifts from Chandrashekar.
ED also said that Fernandez had used proceeds of crime and valuable gifts bought using it for herself and her family members in India as well as abroad and that this amounts to an offence of money laundering under section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002.
Chandrashekhar, a Bengaluru resident, has been accused of running an extortion racket to the tune of Rs 200 crore when he was lodged in Rohini jail. He allegedly extorted money from Aditi Singh, the wife of jailed former Ranbaxy owner Shivinder Singh, by posing as officials from the union law ministry and the PMO, on the pretext of getting her husband out on bail. He is currently lodged in a Delhi jail and facing over 10 criminal cases registered against him.
