The legal proceedings in the alleged 200 million euro money laundering case involving the actor Jacqueline Fernandez and alleged fraudster Sukesh Chandrashekar took a step forward after a Delhi court formally framed charges against them and several other accused on Wednesday.Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma framed charges against Chandrashekar, Jacqueline Fernandez and 15 others in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) money laundering case. In another case investigated by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police, the court also framed charges against Chandrashekar and 20 other accused under various provisions, including the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA).Jacqueline Fernandez, Chandrashekar and several accused were present in the court during the proceedings. All defendants pleaded not guilty and elected to stand trial.The development followed two orders passed by the court on May 30, in which it concluded that there was prima facie enough material to proceed against the accused. In the ED case, the court observed that the accused persons “must be charged with the offense of money laundering (money laundering) under Section 3 of the Money Laundering Act punishable under Section 4 of the PMLA.”In the case of the Delhi Police, the court ordered Chandrashekar to be booked on charges including impersonation of a public servant, extortion, cheating, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy and violations of the Information Technology Act. He was also charged with possession of disproportionate assets related to organized crime and an organized crime syndicate under the provisions of MCOCA.The court also ordered charges against Chandrashekar’s wife Leena Paulose for various offences, barring the charge of impersonating a public servant. Additionally, 17 other accused have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, IT Act and MCOCA, while three others are accused of cheating and criminal conspiracy.MCOCA, enacted in 1999, was introduced to combat organized crime syndicates and terror-related activities. The law gives investigative agencies greater powers to monitor, investigate and prosecute organized criminal networks.Jacqueline Fernandez was named as an accused for the first time in the supplementary charge sheet filed by the ED in the money laundering case investigation. According to the agency, the actress remained in regular contact with Chandrashekar and allegedly received expensive gifts through her associate Pinky Irani.Investigators have alleged that Chandrashekar ran a sophisticated criminal network inside the prison, posing as senior government officials, including the Prime Minister’s Office, the Home Ministry and the Ministry of Law and Justice. Using fake calls, encrypted communication platforms and false identities, he allegedly duped complainant Aditi Singh and her family into transferring large sums of money.The ED says Chandrashekar generated proceeds of crime of over Rs 200 crore through extortion, impersonation, fraud and criminal intimidation before allegedly hiding and laundering the funds with the help of his associates.The Delhi Police case arose out of a complaint filed by Aditi Singh, who alleged that she received a phone call on June 15, 2020, from a person claiming to be a senior official of the Union Law Ministry. The caller allegedly offered to help with legal issues regarding her husband and his businesses.According to investigators, the accused orchestrated an elaborate conspiracy, impersonating senior government officials and allegedly siphoning off Rs 217 crore to Singh and his family in multiple transactions.After technical surveillance and investigation, the police identified Chandrashekar as the alleged mastermind behind the operation. At the time, he was lodged in Delhi’s Rohini Jail in connection with another high-profile case in which he was accused of accepting money from AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran while falsely claiming it could help him uphold the party’s iconic ‘two leaves’ election symbol.Chandrashekar was arrested by the Delhi Police in 2017 and has been at the center of multiple investigations ever since.
