The Enforcement Directorate (ED) submitted a complaint (a chargesheet) in a special court against Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik in a money laundering case of 1999 linking him to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
The 5000-page complaint was filed before the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act Court on Thursday. The five-time member of Legislative Assembly was arrested on February 23 after being questioned by ED for seven hours and has been lodged at Arthur Road Jail since March 7.
The central agency had initiated the investigation against underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and other on the basis of a FIR registered by the National Investigation Agency on February 3, 2022 under criminal conspiracy and Sections 17 (punishment of raising funds for terrorist act), 18 (punishment for conspiracy), 20 (punishment for being member of terrorist gang or organisation), 21 (punishment for holding proceeds of crime), 38 (offences relating to membership of a terrorist organisation) and 40 (offences of raising fund for a terrorist organisation) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. The FIR named Dawood Ibrahim, Haji Anees, Chhota Shakeel, Javed Chikna and Tiger Menon. It mentions that Mr. Ibrahim left India and started controlling his criminal activities in India through his sister Haseena Parkar and others
It was revealed in the Investigation that a prime property of one Mrs. Munira Plumber was allegedly usurped by Mr. Malik through M/s Solidus Investments Private Limited, a company owned by the family members of Mr. Malik and controlled Mr. Malik, with active connivance of Ms. Parkar, her aides and Mr. Malik illegally usurped property/proceeds of crime that is a three acre prime land with building at in Mumbai. As per ED, rent of ₹11.70 crore was also received from this property in two entities - M/s. Solidus Investments Pvt. Ltd. and M/s. Malik Infrastructure is also the proceeds of crime.
On April 13, the central agency provisionally attached a compound (owned by Munira Plumber), a commercial unit, three flats and two residential flats in Mumbai, agricultural land at district Osmanabad Maharashtra admeasuring area 59.81 hectare in (total area 147.794 acres).
On March 15, the Bombay High Court had refused to grant any relief to Mr. Malik and said, "He was arrested by the ED in accordance with the law, and subsequently been remanded to the probe agency’s custody and then to judicial custody following due process. Therefore, there was no reason for the High Court to pass any interim order directing Mr. Malik’s release from custody."
