Special court adjourns drug ‘kingpin’ Jaffer Sadiq’s bail plea in money laundering case
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) submitted a counter affidavit to the bail before the CBI court in Chennai. After marking the counter, the court adjourned the bail plea to Tuesday (December 3) for arguments.
Jaffer Sadiq (File)
CHENNAI: The CBI special court adjourned the hearing of the bail plea moved by the alleged drug kingpin Jaffer Sadiq and his brother in the money laundering case in connection to the huge drug haul.
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) submitted a counter affidavit to the bail before the CBI court in Chennai. After marking the counter, the court adjourned the bail plea to Tuesday (December 3) for arguments.
Objecting to the bail plea, the special public prosecutor for ED, N Ramesh, submitted that the trial in the case is yet to start and expressed serious apprehension that Jaffer could influence the witnesses if released on bail.
As Jaffer is the mastermind of an international drug trafficking ring, if he is let out it would greatly dent efforts to curb the menace of drugs, said the counter.
Furthermore, the accused must satisfy the twin condition for bail under section 45 (1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the present case, but Jaffer didn’t produce any materials to satisfy the conditions, stated the special public prosecutor.
The investigation has revealed that all the properties of Jaffer have been acquired out of the proceeds of crime earned from drug trafficking and trade, hence the bail plea should be dismissed, he added.
On March 9, the Delhi unit of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested Jaffer, who held the post of deputy organiser of DMK NRI wing for Chennai West, for his key role in the alleged trafficking of narcotic drug Pseudoephedrine to the international drug market including Australia and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, the ED registered an enforcement case information report (ECIR) against Jaffer alleging a money laundering offence connected to the drug trafficking case. The ED also booked Mohammed Saleem, brother of Jaffer in the money laundering case.
Advocate KM Kalicharan appearing for Jaffer, submitted the bail plea on the ground that there exists no prima facie case of money laundering under the provisions of the PMLA Act against his client. He also contended that the ED failed to prove the proceeds of crime as alleged by the agency.
