The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the trial, in a special court in Kerala, in a money laundering case prosecuted by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) against ‘lottery king’ Santiago Martin, whose company was a major donor to political parties through the now-defunct electoral bonds scheme.
“We are informed that the complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act [PMLA] has been fixed for April 16, 2024 before the special court for hearing on charge. We make it clear that even if the charge is framed, the trial will not commence in PMLA cases till further orders,” a Bench of Justices A.S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan directed.
The apex court issued notice to the ED on a petition filed by Mr. Martin, represented by senior advocate Aditya Sondhi and advocate Rohini Musa, that the money laundering case against him should be discontinued till the final disposal of the predicate case lodged by the CBI in connection with the alleged loss caused to the Sikkim government through the fraudulent sale of state lottery in Kerala. He said an application for his discharge in the predicate case was pending.
