Jacqueline Fernandez‘s lawyer argued in the court that she can’t be charged with money laundering because she didn’t know about Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s crimes.
According to ANI, Jacqueline Fernandez’s lawyer told the Delhi High Court on Tuesday that under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, only those who gain money from a crime can be charged. Since the actress wasn’t involved in any criminal activity for financial gain, she cannot be accused of money laundering.
In response, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will present its arguments against Jacqueline’s plea challenging the charge sheet in the money laundering case. According to ANI, Justice Anish Dayal has scheduled the hearing for December 3 to consider submissions from the ED’s Special Counsel.
The senior advocate emphasized that Jacqueline Fernandez was unaware that the gifts she received from Sukesh Chandrashekhar were bought with extorted money. The lawyer also cited the Vijay Madanlal Chaudhary case, arguing that property attached during an investigation doesn’t have to be linked directly to the proceeds of the crime.
Senior Advocate Siddharth Agarwal, along with Advocates Prashant Patil and Shakti Pandey, represented Jacqueline Fernandez, while Advocate Zoheb Hossain appeared on behalf of the Enforcement Directorate.
It was argued that two cases cannot be challenged based on the same facts. The extortion of Aditi Singh is already being prosecuted under MCOCA, where Jacqueline is a witness. She cannot be accused of money laundering as she isn’t part of the crime syndicate and didn’t gain any financial benefit.
Recently, Jacqueline Fernandez challenged the charge sheet in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case, arguing that she was unaware that the gifts she received were of illegal origin.
