Evidence Suggests Nawab Malik Conspired With D-Company: Court
The court has issued a process against Nawab Malik and Sardar Khan, who is also listed in the case.
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed in its charge sheet against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Minister Nawab Malik that "several rounds of meetings" were held over the Goawala compound in Kurla between Malik, his brother Aslam, Dawood Ibrahim's sister Haseena Parkar, and 1993 serial blasts convict Sardar Khan, in connection with which a money laundering case has been filed.
A special court on Friday took cognisance of the prosecution complaint (charge sheet) submitted last month, which names Malik, Khan, Solidus Investments Pvt Ltd, and Malik Infrastructure, all of whom are associated to the minister, as defendants, news agency ANI reported.
Special Judge R N Rokade issued process against Malik and Khan, who are being held at Arthur Road and Aurangabad jails, respectively, stating that the case had "sufficient grounds" to proceed, reported The Indian Express.
"There is prima facie evidence to indicate that the accused is directly and knowingly involved in money laundering," the court stated, adding that the property in question, which Malik allegedly usurped with Parkar's help, constitutes proceeds of crime under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
What Has Sardar Khan Said
According to the central agency, Malik and colleagues of D-Company collaborated criminally and illegally to acquire the Goawala Compound. The report claims that Sardar Khan, who is serving life imprisonment for the 1993 serial blasts, was also a part of the arrangement.
"Patel was a close companion of Haseena aapa [Haseena Parkar] and functioning as her bodyguard-cum-driver," Khan had stated in his statement to the agency. "Later, I learned that Patel made every decision regarding this property on Haseena aapa's orders. Haseena aapa was the genuine owner of this property." The ED complaint includes the statement, Hindustan Times reported.
The ED has also included information in the charge sheet indicating that Malik used his clout to first occupy a tenanted property at the compound.
Khan claimed that Malik was attempting to gain control of a rented property in the compound that was being used as a godown and was owned by Kanchwala. "There was a flood in Kurla in 1992, and no one could get near the godown. Mr Nawab Malik and his brother Aslam Malik took advantage of the circumstance and occupied this property unlawfully because Mr Nawab Malik was a local muscleman and Kanchwala was unable to intervene; afterwards, this tenancy was regularised in the name of Mr Aslam Malik," the ED charge sheet claimed.
(With inputs from ANI, Indian Express, and Hindustan Times.)
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