Not a victim, knew Sukesh's past and still accepted gifts: ED on Jacqueline's plea
The ED opposed actor Jacqueline Fernandez's plea to turn approver in the Sukesh Chandrashekhar money laundering case, telling a Delhi court there was sufficient evidence against her.
Actor Jacqueline Fernandez was fully aware of alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s criminal background, yet chose to continue her association with him, accepted expensive gifts, and enjoyed part of the illegally acquired money, the Enforcement Directorate told a court on Monday while opposing the actor’s plea to turn approver in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case.
The central agency said her claim of being a victim was contrary to the evidence on record.
Jacqueline recently told a Delhi court that she wanted to turn approver in the case, a move that came months after the Supreme Court refused to quash the criminal proceedings against her.
Chandrasekhar, who is currently lodged in jail in connection with multiple cases, has consistently claimed to be the actor’s boyfriend. While leaked pictures suggested that the two knew each other closely, Jacqueline has maintained in court that Sukesh misled her into believing he was a legitimate businessman.
However, the ED said, “Jacqueline was well aware of the criminal antecedents of the main accused, Sukesh. Despite this knowledge of his real identity and criminal background, she chose to continue her association with him and accept valuable benefits, use and enjoy the ‘proceeds of crime’ for herself and her family members, clearly demonstrating a conscious disregard for the source of the funds and actively participating in the laundering process".
The agency further submitted that Jacqueline and her family members allegedly used and benefited from the proceeds of the crime despite being aware of their source. The ED argued that this reflected a conscious disregard for the origin of the funds and indicated active participation in the laundering process.
The anti-money laundering agency also told the court that her claim of being a cooperating witness in the main offence did not absolve her of liability in the money laundering case. The ED also sought time from the court to file a detailed response in the matter.
The actor has categorically denied all allegations and maintained that she had no knowledge of Sukesh’s criminal background. She said, "Sukesh played with my emotions and made my life hell," adding that he "misled me" and damaged her career and livelihood. However, the ED named her a co-accused in its chargesheet filed in August 2022.
Sukesh Chandrashekar faces cases for allegedly duping the wives of former promoters of Ranbaxy, Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh, of Rs 200 crore.
According to police, the conman and his associates took money from Shivinder Singh's wife, Aditi Singh, by posing as government officials and promising to secure bail for her husband, who was in jail in a money laundering case. The police have invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case.
Several separate investigations against Chandrasekhar in the country are currently underway.