Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 19: A local court today rejected the application of three persons seeking discharge of offences against them in money laundering case filed under prevention of Money Laundering Act and said the accused are liable to be charged under law.
The CBI court presided over by Mohan Singh Parihar turned down the application filed by Irshad Ahmad Qureshi, Irshad Ahmad Hajjam and Firdous Iqbal Wani seeking their discharging from the offences leveled against them under Section 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering (PML) Act of 2002.
The complainant Assistant Director, Directorate of Enforcement Government of India, Srinagar has filed a criminal complaint in this court for the prosecution of these persons accused for alleged to have committing offence under Section 3 and punishable under Section 4 of the PML Act by them.
After hearing the arguments on the application made by both the sides, the CBI court said that certain sections of the PML Act deals with burden of proof and as per Clause (a) in the Act, the person charged with the offence of money-laundering under Section 3, the Authority or Court shall, unless the contrary is proved, presume that such proceeds of crime are involved in money-laundering.
Court further observed that in the present case, the investigation conducted by Directorate of Enforcement has revealed that accused- Peerzada Irshad Ahmad Qureshi was involved in channelizing the ill gotten money and delivering the same to militant cadres in Kashmir Valley.
The services of the accused, court added, were utilized by Hizbul Mujahideen outfit as is clear from the fact that letter pads of Hizbul Mujahideen were also recovered by the police alongwith cash amount at the instance of accused namely Irshad Ahmad Hajam.
Qureshi, court said, utilized the service of Hajam also for distributing the ill gotten money among the militant sympathizers/cadres as he was fully aware of the fact that the money they distributed reached the families of militancy victims.
Both the accused as per the record court said, distributed the money for their personal gains as they used to get commission against such distribution and the money distributed by these accused was arranged by the persons like third accused Firdous Iqbal Wani.
In the opinion of court after these facts said prima-facie sufficient material against the accused has been found to presume that the accused have committed offence of Money-Laundering under Section 3 punishable under Section 4 of PML Act and the accused are liable to be charged under said Section. The application filed by accused for discharge is without any merit, which is accordingly dismissed and be attached with the main file.
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